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Photo#690531
Mites infesting sparrow nest, possibly Ornithonyssus bursa? - Ornithonyssus

Mites infesting sparrow nest, possibly Ornithonyssus bursa? - Ornithonyssus
Stanford, Santa Clara County, California, USA
August 15, 2012
Size: 32X image
These are infesting a sparrow's nest outside my lab. I think they must be a bird mite, and based on an internet search I think they're likely to be Ornithonyssus, maybe O. bursa? But I'd love a stronger ID and if possible, what criteria are used for identifying them. The pic was taken on a Leica dissecting microscope, 32X total magnification.

Moved
Moved from Mites and Ticks.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

avian mites
this is an avian mite of some kind. However, the features for idantification can be difficult and are best viewed on a slide-mounted specimen on a light microscope. Look at my series here for key features when identifying mites (namely the chelicerae, trachae, and ventral and dorsal body plates).

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