In 1931, G. Robert Coatney conducted an experiment to determine if pigeon louse flies would bite humans and survive on human blood and he found they could not. The only wild hosts are pigeons and doves (Columbidae). In domestic settings they have been recorded from 33 genera, 13 families and 8 orders of birds.[9]
Pseudolynchia canariensis is the definitive host (sexual reproduction takes place in the insect vector) for the protozoan Haemoproteus columbae or pigeon malaria and transmits this parasite to Columbiformes. This parasite can be fatal to young rock pigeons in extremely infected birds.[10] However, more often, H. columbae is quite benign and an experimental study found no difference in experimentally infected birds and those in the surrounding population when followed from nestlings through young adults and monitored for survival.[11] The global distribution of H. columbae described in rock pigeons may provide evidence for the wide range of P. canariensis.
Ischnoceran lice are often found on several hippoboscid flies. This is a phoretic association, meaning the lice catch a ride on the flies to move between bird hosts, and the lice do not feed on the flies.[12]
^Macquart, Pierre-Justin-Marie (1848). "Diptères exotiques nouveaux ou peu connus. Suite du 2.me supplement. [=Suppl. 3] (2)". Mem. Soc. R. Sci. Agric. Arts, Lille. 1847 (2): 161–237, 7 pls.
^Macquart, P.J.M. (1844). Diptères exotiques nouveaux ou peu connus. Tome deuxième.—3e partie. "1843". Paris: Roret. p. 304.
^Dick, C. W. (2006). "Checklist of World Hippoboscidae (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea)". Chicago: Department of Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History: 1–7pp. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ abMaa, T. C. (1969). "A Revised Checklist and Concise Host Index of Hippoboscidae (Diptera)". Pacific Insects Monograph. 20. Honolulu: Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii: 261–299pp.
^Oosthuizen, J. H.; Markus, Miles B. (1972-01-01). "Pathogenicity of Haemoproteus columbae". Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 66 (1): 186–187. doi:10.1016/0035-9203(72)90072-7. ISSN0035-9203. PMID4625895.
^Knutie, Sarah A.; Waite, Jessica L.; Clayton, Dale H. (2013-01-01). "Does avian malaria reduce fledging success: an experimental test of the selection hypothesis". Evolutionary Ecology. 27 (1): 185–191. doi:10.1007/s10682-012-9578-y. ISSN1573-8477. S2CID14609832.
^Harbison, Christopher W.; Jacobsen, Matthew V.; Clayton, Dale H. (2009-04-01). "A hitchhiker's guide to parasite transmission: The phoretic behaviour of feather lice". International Journal for Parasitology. 39 (5): 569–575. doi:10.1016/j.ijpara.2008.09.014. ISSN0020-7519. PMID19038259.
