Mosquito landing rates on nesting American robins (<I>Turdus migratorius</I>)

Abstract

We measured mosquito landing rates on adult and nestling American robins at nests with infrared cameras in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, United States. Mosquitoes landed on nesting robins almost exclusively between dusk and dawn. The mean number of mosquito landings per night was higher for adults (123.3 ñ SE 32.8) than nestlings (37.26 ñ 14.8). The fraction of mosquitoes landing at a nest on nestlings increased with decreases in adult brooding. Oral swabs from nestlings at these and 13 other robin, Gray catbird, and house finch nests were negative for West Nile virus (WNV). These results show that landing rates were higher on adults and that parental brooding reduces the landing rates of mosquitoes on nestlings.