English name: common seabird tick
Common seabird tick
Scientific name: Ixodes uriae White
Order: Acari
Family: Ixodidae
- is found on many species of seabirds, such as petrels, penguins, and shags, particularly at their nesting sites;
- occurs around the coasts of Aotearoa / New Zealand and the subantarctic islands of the Southern Hemisphere, and in the North Pacific and North Atlantic regions of the Northern Hemisphere;
- is thought to be a vector that spreads a viral disease of seabirds. Once established, the virus may persist for a number of years in nesting colonies. Many nestlings may die from it.