Behavior of the Avian Parasite (Diptera: Muscidae) in and Near Host Nests in the Galapagos Islands.

UNLABELLED

The Avian Vampire Fly, , has invaded the Galapagos Islands, where it causes high mortality of endemic and native landbird species, including most species of Darwin's finches. Control methods are under development, but key information is missing about the reproductive biology of and the behavior of flies in and near nests of their hosts. We used external and internal nest cameras to record the behavior of adults within and outside nests of the Galapagos Flycatcher, , throughout all stages of the nesting cycle. These recordings showed that visited flycatcher nests throughout the day with higher fly activity during the nestling phase during vespertine hours. The observations also revealed that multiple individuals can visit nests concurrently, and that there are some interactions among these flies within the nest. Fly visitation to nests occurred significantly more often while parent birds were away from the nest than in the nest, and this timing appears to be a strategy to avoid predation by parent birds. We report fly mating behavior outside the nest but not in the nest cavity. We discuss the relevance of these findings for the adaptive forces shaping life history strategies as well as rearing and control measures.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10905-021-09789-7.