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Four Parasitic Worm Species Were Reported From Eurasian Magpies for the First Time

Wild Eurasian magpie at Lake Tödürge in Türkiye
Research · Disease, parasites & microbiology

A parasitological study of Eurasian magpies (Pica pica) from Bursa Province in Türkiye identified ten species of parasitic worms, including four that had never previously been recorded from the species anywhere in the world. The study was published on 20 July 2026 in the Iranian Journal of Parasitology.

The researchers examined 53 dead magpies received between June 2015 and August 2025 by Bursa Zoo and the Celal Acar Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. The birds had died for various reasons; the study catalogued their helminth fauna and did not test whether the parasites had caused illness or death. Forty birds, or 75.4%, carried helminths. In total, the researchers recovered 470 individual worms representing ten species.

Four parasite species were new host records for magpies

The ten species belonged to four major groups: trematodes, tapeworms, nematodes and acanthocephalans, or spiny-headed worms. Four — Raillietina echinobothrida, Choanotaenia macracantha, Baruscapillaria obsignata and Baruscapillaria resecta — were recorded from Eurasian magpies for the first time worldwide.

The study also produced six new geographical records for Türkiye, expanding the known local parasite fauna beyond the four new magpie host records.

A broad diet can expose magpies to many parasite life cycles

Passerilepis stylosa was the parasite found in the most birds, occurring in 19 of the 53 magpies, or 35.8%. The authors relate the overall worm diversity to the magpie’s broad feeding ecology: its omnivorous diet can bring it into contact with many intermediate hosts — animals in which a parasite develops before reaching its final host — while use of agricultural land, forest edges and urban areas creates different sources of parasite exposure. Shared feeding areas, water sources and communal roosts may also provide opportunities for transmission.

Because Eurasian magpies are relatively sedentary, the authors note that their helminth fauna can reflect local ecological conditions and the availability of intermediate hosts. The study therefore adds both new host records and a more detailed picture of parasite diversity in magpies in Türkiye.

Sources and image credit

  1. Dirshe et al. (2026), Iranian Journal of Parasitology — Helmintological Examination of Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) (Passeriformes: Corvidae) Specimens Collected from Bursa and Its Surroundings in TürkiyePrimary peer-reviewed study, published online 20 July 2026. Examined 53 dead Eurasian magpies from Bursa Province; 40 (75.4%) carried helminths and 470 worms from ten species were recovered. Four helminth species were first host records for Pica pica worldwide; six species were reported as new additions to the known helminth fauna of Türkiye.
  2. Iranian Journal of Parasitology — article pagePublisher page confirming the 20 July 2026 publication date, study design and the listed new host and geographical records.

Image: Zeynel Cebeci / Wikimedia Commons — wild Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) at Lake Tödürge, Zara, Sivas, Türkiye, photographed 27 July 2020. Representative regional image; not one of the specimens examined in the study. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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