Avian uropygial secretions as a novel bioinsecticide for mosquito vector control

Abstract Mosquito-borne diseases remain a major global health burden, yet current vector-control programmes are threatened by the rapid emergence of resistance to conventional insecticides. The urgent need for new, effective, and environmentally sustainable insecticidal agents has promoted growing interest in nature-derived compounds. Birds produce uropygial secretions with well-documented antimicrobial properties, but their potential to directly kill mosquito vectors has never been experimentally tested. Here, we assess whether uropygial secretions from house sparrows act as naturally derived insecticides against five mosquito species responsible for the global transmission of human pathogens ( Anopheles stephensi , Culex pipiens, Aedes aegypti , Aedes albopictus , and Culiseta longiareolata ). We show that uropygial secretions induce high mortality (65–94%) across all five mosquito species in a dose- and time-dependent manner. These findings provide the first experimental evidence that avian preen secretions contain previously unrecognized bioactive compounds capable of rapidly killing mosquitoes, revealing a novel biological resource with direct relevance for public health.