Bug FAQPigeon Louse Fly
Pseudolynchia canariensis · Order: Diptera · Family: Hippoboscidae
Also called: Louse fly
The pigeon louse fly is a biting fly that belongs to the Hippoboscidae family. It lives as an obligate ectoparasite on pigeons and doves and is found wherever these birds are kept, across many warm regions of the world. It feeds on the blood of columbiform birds and can transmit the protozoan that causes pigeon malaria.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
These flies are obligate ectoparasites of Columbidae and can be found wherever domestic pigeons are kept.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
These flies are species-specific ectoparasites of pigeons and doves and occur wherever domestic pigeons are kept.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
In the wild they feed only on pigeons and doves. In domestic settings they have been recorded on many other bird species, spanning 33 genera, 13 families and 8 orders.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The fly is the definitive host for Haemoproteus columbae, the parasite that causes pigeon malaria, and transmits it to columbiform birds.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
They are known from wild or feral hosts in Africa, the Mediterranean, parts of Asia, the Ryukyu Islands, the Philippines, Malaya, Indonesia, and warm areas of North and South America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 17 of 51 states and DC. Most records: South Carolina, Florida, California, New York, Texas, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Hawaii.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What birds do pigeon louse flies infest?
They normally live on pigeons and doves, but in domestic settings they have been found on many other bird species.
Source: Wikipedia
Can these flies spread disease?
They transmit the protozoan Haemoproteus columbae, which causes pigeon malaria in birds.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Hippoboscidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudolynchia_canariensis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.