A comparison of avian ectoparasite populations found in four different habitats of the coffee agroecosystem of Chiapas, Mexico

This study investigates the relationship between the management of coffee systems and the abundance of avian ectoparasites in coffee plantations with different levels of intensification. It also investigates the effect of management on the condition of the host relative to the habitat in which it is found. Birds were captured with mistnets during the breeding season and the rainy season, between May and July of 2006 in the state of Chiapas, México. Samples were taken in four habitats representative of a coffee intensification gradient: forest fragment, traditional polyculture, high shade coffee production and low shade coffee production. The low shade coffee plantation presented a greater number of lice among reproductive females and the lowest host condition among all birds during the second half of the breeding season. However, no significant differences were found with respect to the number of mites per bird examined in the different habitats. In conclusion, the intensification of the coffee system may affect the lice load and body condition of more vulnerable birds.