Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Madras Veterinary College, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai - 600007, Tamil Nadu, India
*Corresponding author. Email: kavithaktmvc@gmail.com
Online Published on 29 March, 2022.
The purpose of this study was to document the finding of chewing lice infesting pigeons in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. A total of 18 pigeons were examined for the presence of lice, out of which five (27.8%) showed severe infestation. The infested pigeons showed restlessness, weak body condition, pruritus, skin reddening, dermatitis, anaemia and lesions on their feathers. A total number of 230 lice were collected from the infested pigeons. Three species of chewing lice, Colpocephalum turbinatum (n=149), Columbicola columbae (n=70), and Campanulotes compar (n=11) were identified morphologically. It was observed that C. turbinatum (64.8%) was the most common parasite, followed by C. columbae (30.4%). C. compar (4.8%) showed the lowest rate of infestation.
Pigeon, Chewing lice, Colpocephalum turbinatum, Columbicola columbae, Campanulotes compar
