Regional tick guide

Ticks in Oregon

Explore reviewed tick occurrence records for Oregon, with links to identification profiles, evidence and practical guidance.

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Reviewed sources

4

linked tick species

State

geographic level

US-OR

location code

4 reviewed species records are currently linked to Oregon.

Introduced, occasional and other records

Adult female Dermacentor andersoni on the left and adult male on the right with scutum differences marked

Rocky Mountain wood tick

Also known as: Rocky Mountain tick

Dermacentor andersoni

Present Dermacentor hard_tick Oregon

Oregon Health Authority records the Rocky Mountain wood tick in Oregon.

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A hard tick of the Rocky Mountain states and southwestern Canada. Adults are the principal stage associated with pathogen transmission to humans.

Also known as: Rocky Mountain tick

Identification:

Adults are ornate Dermacentor ticks with short mouthparts, eyes and festoons. Females have a cream-patterned anterior scutum; males show pale mottling across most of the dorsum.

Hosts: Humans, Small mammals, Large mammals, Livestock, Dogs

Habitats: Rocky Mountain rangeland, Grassland and shrubland

Photographs and visible features may be insufficient for definitive identification.

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Adult female Ixodes pacificus western blacklegged tick on a green blade of grass

Western blacklegged tick

Also known as: Western black-legged tick

Ixodes pacificus

Present Ixodes hard_tick Oregon

Oregon Health Authority identifies the western blacklegged tick as present mainly west of the Cascades.

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A Pacific coast hard tick, particularly important in northern California. Nymphs and adult females are more often reported on people, although larvae also bite humans.

Also known as: Western black-legged tick

Identification:

Adult females have a dark anterior scutum and reddish-orange posterior body when unfed. Ixodes ticks lack eyes and festoons and have an anal groove anterior to the anus. Expert examination may be needed to separate related Ixodes.

Hosts: Humans, White-tailed deer, Small mammals, Birds, Lizards

Habitats: Pacific coastal woodland, Woodland edges and trails

Photographs and visible features may be insufficient for definitive identification.

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CDC photograph of an Ornithodoros hermsi soft tick specimen

Herms soft tick

Also known as: Relapsing fever tick

Ornithodoros hermsi

Present Ornithodoros soft_tick Oregon

Oregon Health Authority records Ornithodoros hermsi in high-elevation areas east of the Cascades.

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A nocturnal, rapidly feeding soft tick associated with rodent nests and rustic cabins in mountainous western North America.

Also known as: Relapsing fever tick

Identification:

Soft-bodied tick without a dorsal scutum. Mouthparts are not visible from above. Nymphs and adults feed briefly, often without the person noticing.

Hosts: Humans, Rodents

Habitats: Rodent nests and rustic cabins

Photographs and visible features may be insufficient for definitive identification.

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Adult female and male Rhipicephalus sanguineus brown dog ticks in dorsal view

Brown dog tick

Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Present Oregon

Oregon Health Authority records the brown dog tick throughout Oregon.

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A globally distributed, dog-associated hard tick able to complete its life cycle in buildings and kennels. UK records are linked to importation; UKHSA reports no current evidence of establishment outdoors or as a resident UK population.

Identification:

Laterally produced angular basis capituli.

Eyes and festoons present.

Scutum lacks ornamentation.

Mouthparts relatively short compared with the basis capituli.

Coxa I has large paired internal and external spurs.

Rhipicephalus sanguineus is a species complex in some literature; expert morphological and sometimes molecular review may be necessary.

Photographs and visible features may be insufficient for definitive identification.

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Practical tick guidance

Related guidance

Use these VuxLore® resources alongside the location records and species profiles above.

Identify ticksSpecies, life stages and identification guidance Prevent and checkReduce exposure and perform thorough tick checks Remove ticksRemoval methods, tools and common problems Bites, symptoms and healthSourced guidance about bites, symptoms and disease

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