Ticks on birds: a common sight or not

While birding I came across this tick infested Short-clawed Lark. At a glance one would not notice the ticks around its neck and crown. It looked quite healthy, but it was only after realizing that it was infested with ticks that I took interest in the bird.

 The Short-clawed Lark being “near-threatened” according to the Red Data List; was this not going to be one of the contributory factors towards its extinction? How vulnerable are birds towards this blood sucking parasites?

Tick -infested Short-clawed Lark

At a glance all looked funny to identify