Do songbirds play a role as hosts for Asian longhorned ticks (Haemaphysalis longicornis) in the eastern United States?

In the eastern United States, passerine (songbirds) and near-passerine birds are known to carry and disperse multiple tick species, including those belonging to the genus Haemaphysalis. However, the role that birds play in the natural cycle and distribution of the newly introduced Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) in North America is yet unclear. Using newly available taxonomic keys, we examined ticks previously identified as H. leporispalustris collected from migrating and resident birds during 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018 in VA and MD, to confirm their identification. Ticks were also collected and identified from birds mist-netted between May and July of 2019 in New Fairfield, CT, near areas of CT and neighboring NY where H. longicornis is known to occur. We examined 570 immature ticks from 209 individual birds of 27 species in VA and MD and did not detect any H. longicornis specimens. Similarly, an examination of 384 immature ticks from 87 individual birds of 15 species in CT yielded primarily subadult Ixodes spp., with no detection of H. longicornis. Future studies of ticks on birds at specific locations where H. longicornis has become well-established in the region will improve our understanding of the potential role of birds as a dispersal agent of H. longicornis in the United States.