Predators and Parasites
This species is occasionally hunted by the Peregrine Falcon, which shares its mountain habitat, and during its migration over the Himalayas, it is reported to be subject to predation by crows. Common Kestrels, Eurasian Sparrowhawks, Eurasian Jays and Common Ravens are also treated as predators and attacked by repeated dives if they approach nesting cliffs. Despite the general aggressiveness of the martin, it tolerates sympatric Common House Martins, perhaps because the large numbers of that highly colonial species provide an early warning of predators.
The Crag Martin is a host of blood-sucking mites of the genus Dermanyssus, including D. chelidonis, and of the nasal mite Ptilonyssus ptyonoprognes. Two new species of parasites were first discovered on this martin, the fly Ornithomya rupes in Gibraltar and the flea Ceratophyllus nanshanensis from China.
Read more about this topic: Eurasian Crag Martin
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