Moorhen Flea vs Painted Hickory Borer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Moorhen Flea Painted Hickory Borer
Scientific Name Dasypsyllus gallinulae Megacyllene caryae
Order Siphonaptera Coleoptera
Family Ceratophyllidae Cerambycidae
Size 1.5-2.5 mm 14-22 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Blood Feeders Omnivores
Regions Europe Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Moorhen Flea

A flea commonly found on small passerine birds including tits, wrens, and robins. It breeds in bird nesting boxes and natural cavities.

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Did You Know?

This flea is so common in European bird nest boxes that ornithologists routinely find them when checking boxes during the breeding season.

Painted Hickory Borer

A handsome cerambycid with white zigzag markings on dark brown elytra, breeding in dead hickory and oak in eastern North America. Adults appear in spring, unlike the autumn-active locust borer. It is frequently found on freshly cut firewood.

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Did You Know?

This species and the locust borer are near-perfect lookalikes but are separated by season: spring vs. autumn emergence.