Ornithonyssus bursa (Berlese, 1888), known as the tropical fowl mite, is a hematophagous mite of domestic and wild birds. This mite can bite humans accidentally, causing “gamasoidosis,” “avian-mite dermatitis,” or “bird-mite dermatitis” in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In Brazil, O. bursa was previously recorded parasitizing birds of the orders Charadriiformes Huxley, 1867, Columbiformes Latham, 1790, Galliformes Temminck, 1820, Passeriformes Linnaeus, 1758, Strigiformes Wagler, 1830, and Tinamiformes Huxley, 1872. Here, we provide a new association of O. bursa with Harris’s hawk, Parabuteo unicinctus (Temminck, 1824) (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae) and the first record of this mite species in the Paraíba State, Brazil.

Ornithonyssus bursa, known as the "tropical fowl mite," is a hematophagous mite of domestic and wild birds, which occasionally bites humans. Accidental bites on humans occur mainly when abandoned bird nests are close to homes or when people are handling parasitized birds. In the present study, we describe five case reports of bites on humans and new records of localities for this species. Based on the material examined, we provide morphological and molecular characterizations for this species herein.

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The avian nasal mites are a group of Mesostigmata, belonging to the family Rhinonyssidae, Trouessart, 1895, obligate endoparasites of the respiratory system of birds. In Brazil, seven of the eight genera of this family have been recorded. After examining the Acarological Collection of the Instituto Butantan, the species Rallinyssus gallinulae Fain, 1960 and Rhinoecius bisetosus Strandtmann, 1952 were identified from Gallinula galeata (Lichtenstein, 1818) (Gruiformes: Rallidae) and an unidentified owl, respectively. In this study, we are recording for the first time R. gallinulae from Brazil (Rio de Janeiro State), while R. bisetosus is recorded for the second time to this country (São Paulo State), however from a different specific locality.