If a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush – then what is the worth of a bird with a blood-sucking tick on its head?

Apparently, it’s worth a lot to scientists like University entomology professor Nancy Hinkle.

Hinkle, along with entomology professor Gary Mullen of Auburn University, studies ticks that produce paralyzing effects in birds.

These bird ticks – arachnids belonging to the species Ixodes brunneus – are extremely difficult to find alive in nature and affect a wide range of Southeastern bird species.

Because of the ticks’ elusiveness, Hinkle and Mullen have called upon the Georgia community to report and even collect the ticks and birds for research purposes. Even more bizarre, Mullen said data from the last 15 years supports that cases of paralyzing bird ticks have only appeared during the winter months of every third year.

Winter 2009 marks the reemergence of the tick species last seen in 2006 in Georgia.

“It’s a very unusual situation because we only get to study the ticks one-third of the time,” Hinkle said in humorous reference to the triennial trend.

This winter, a few birds have been found paralyzed by ticks in Colquitt and Spalding counties, she said. Mullen was notified of Alabama’s first two cases this year Tuesday.

If a bird tick case is encountered, she said to use gloves, wrap the bird in a towel, pick off the ticks and carefully place them in a container with a damp paper towel.

It may be hard to imagine picking engorged ticks off of birds, but Hinkle said it could save birds’ lives and provide invaluable information to researchers.

“At this point, anything we discover is something useful and new,” she said in a telephone interview Monday. “We know so little about the ticks’ behavior, biology and ecology.”

Birdwatchers often mistake the tick for tumors on birds’ necks and heads, Hinkle said.

Though the majority of reported cases occur around bird feeders, sightings are still rare because birds – like most animals – seclude themselves when they feel ill, she said.

Birds who spend most of their time feeding on insects, seeds or plant material near the ground are more likely to attract bird ticks.

Mullen said an unknown substance in the saliva of female ticks is responsible for paralyzing the birds. The substance interrupts nerve impulse transmissions, resulting in flaccid paralysis, or extreme relaxation of muscles. In addition, Mullen said that not all females of Ixodes brunneus produce the paralyzing saliva.

Paralysis first affects the feet and legs of the bird’s body, then the upper body and wings, rendering the bird immobile. The paralyzing agent also affects the muscles surrounding the bird’s air sacs, causing death from respiratory failure.

Fortunately, there is still hope for birds with ticks.

“Remove the tick and the bird usually recovers and flies away within 15 minutes,” Mullen said in a telephone interview Monday. Since this speedy recovery rate is unusual, biomedical researchers are interested to pinpoint the composition of the paralyzing substance in order to develop safer anesthetic practices, he said.

Much is still unknown about this mysterious phenomenon that emerges every three years in the Southeast, Mullen said.

“Anyone who is feeding or loves birds should be aware of what’s happening,” he said. “It’s important for people to appreciate or understand what they are seeing in their own back yards.”

Mail It
With the tick or bird, attach a note providing where the bird was found, the species of bird, whether bird is juvenile or adult, and phone number.
Mail to: Dr. N.C. Hinkle Department of Entomology 413 Biological Sciences Building Athens, GA 30602