Investigations of Ixodid ticks on migratory land-birds were carried out in Japan. Two genera, consisting of 9 tick species (Ixodes nipponensis, I. pavlovskyi, I. persulcatus, Ixodes sp., Haemaphysalis flava, H. longicornis, H. phasiana, H. wellingtoni) were collected from 19 bird species which were investigated at 17 fields sites. The Spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was isolated from immature I. persulcatus found on Black faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala, and Brown Thrush Turdus chrysolaus in Hokkaido; and nymphal or female stages of I. turdus were found on Black faced Buntings in Yamagata, and on Brown-eared Bulbul Hysipetes amaurotis in Aichi.
These results strongly suggested that birds as well as rodents play an important role as reservoir hosts of Lyme borreliosis in Japan.
