Western Chicken Flea vs East African Sugar Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Western Chicken Flea East African Sugar Ant
Scientific Name Ceratophyllus niger Camponotus maculatus
Order Siphonaptera Hymenoptera
Family Ceratophyllidae Formicidae
Size 2-3 mm 6-14 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Blood Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Western North America East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Western Chicken Flea

A poultry flea common in western North America that infests chickens and other domestic birds. Heavy infestations reduce egg production and can kill young chicks.

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Did You Know?

Larvae develop in accumulated nest debris and droppings in poultry houses rather than on the bird itself.

East African Sugar Ant

A large, polymorphic ant with major workers having disproportionately large heads. Workers vary in color from reddish-brown to black with distinctive spotted patterning.

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Did You Know?

Major workers use their massive heads to block nest entrances like living doors, a behavior called phragmosis.