Absence of haematozoa and ectoparasites in a highly sexually ornamented species, the Crested Auklet

We studied the prevalence of hematozoa/ectoparasites of Crested Auklets (Ae thia cristatella) at Talan Island in the northwestern Sea of Okhotsk, Russi a to investigate whether individual differences in the degree of ornamentat ion could be related to presumed hematozoa/ectoparasite load. A total of 13 1 Crested Auklets were caught and sampled. None of the birds shelved signs of hematozoa or ectoparasites and we discuss different reasons for this abs ence of parasites. We conclude that other types of parasites than haematozo a may be involved in the evolutionary play between parasites and host elabo rate traits.