Absence of Haematozoa and Ectoparasites in a Highly Sexually Ornamented Species, The Crested Auklet

We studied the prevalence of hematozoa/ectoparasites of Crested Auklets (Aethia cristatella) at Talan Island in the northwestern Sea of Okhotsk, Russia to investigate whether individual differences in the degree of ornamentation could be related to presumed hematozoa/ectoparasite load. A total of 131 Crested Auklets were caught and sampled. None of the birds showed signs of hematozoa or ectoparasites and we discuss different reasons for this absence of parasites. We conclude that other types of parasites than haematozoa may be involved in the evolutionary play between parasites and host elaborate traits.