Gulf Coast Tick Amblyomma maculatum

This tick shows surprisingly specific tastes: immature stages strongly prefer cotton rats, though they'll feed on many ground-dwelling birds and small mammals. The potential host list reads like a nature field guide—cardinals, bluebirds, Carolina wrens, eastern woodrats, and marsh rice rats all make the menu. Adult ticks become less picky, readily feeding on larger animals including white-tailed deer, dogs, humans, and pigs. This progression from specialist to generalist is typical of many tick species, making it a common parasite across the Gulf Coast region where all these diverse hosts converge.