Tick surveillance, including new records for three Haemaphysalis species (Acari: Ixodidae) collected from migratory birds during 2009 on Hong Island (Hong-do), Republic of Korea

Tick surveillance of migratory birds was conducted during 2009 on Hong Island (Hong-do), Jeonnam Province, Republic of Korea. A total of 16/102 (15.8%) species of birds captured by mist net for banding were infested with ticks. A total of 143 ticks belonging to two genera and seven species—Ixodes turdus (96 ticks), Haemaphysalis flava (17), Haemaphysalis longicornis (12), Ixodes nipponensis (10), Haemaphysalis aborensis (3), Haemaphysalis hystricis (3), and Haemaphysalis doenitzi (2)—were collected from 16 bird species representing eight genera. New country and host records are provided for three uncommonly collected tick species: H. hystricis (3 nymphs; Turdus hortulorum and Zoothera dauma), H. aborensis (3 nymphs; Turdus pallidus), and H. doenitzi (1 male, 1 nymph; T. pallidus and Turdus naumanni). Most ticks (124/143; 86.7%) were collected from birds on their northward spring (March–May) migration from Southeast Asia to their breeding grounds in northeastern Asia.