Abstract: Identifying the factors that affect parasitic arthropod distributions is important for understanding disease transmission, and parasite richness/diversity. Ticks (Arachnida: Ixodida) are obligate ectoparasites that require hosts to obtain blood meals, and often vector pathogens. Because of their vector potential, it is necessary to understand tick distributions and the variables that influence their presence. This study focused on determining the factors that affect tick distributions on birds sampled across different elevations and habitats in Colombia. The model took into account both habitat variables and avian traits to determine the relative importance of these variables in predicting tick presence and distributions. We sampled >800 birds for ticks across environmental gradients in Colombia. We focused on 14 microsystem variables related to the avian host (e.g. diet, canopy level), and 27 macrosystem variables of the host’s environment (e.g. tree cover, precipitation). Using a binomial regression model we determined the top predicting factors in each of these models and created a combined model with each of the top predicting factors to determine which factors are most important in predicting tick distributions host or habitat.
