Background: Sand flies are principal vectors of the protozoan parasites Leishmania spp., widely distributed in all warmer regions of the world, including the Mediterranean parts of Europe. In Central European countries, the sand fly fauna is still understudied. Phlebotomus mascittii, a suspected but unproven vector of Leishmania infantum, is regarded as the most widely distributed species in Europe. However, many aspects of its biology and ecology remain poorly known. The aim of this study was to provide new data on Ph. mascittii biology and ecology in Austria to better understand its current distribution and potential dispersal.Methods: Sand fly trappings were conducted at four different locations in Austria for eleven and fifteen weeks during the active period in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Climatic parameters including temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure and wind speed were retrospectively obtained for the trapping periods and blood meals of engorged females were analysed by DNA sequencing and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.Results: In total, 450 individuals of Ph. mascittii were caught. Activity was observed to start at the beginning of June and end at the end of August with peaks in mid-July at three locations and early August at one location. Increasing activity was associated with relatively high temperatures and humidity. Also, more individuals were caught in nights with low barometric pressure. Five identified blood meals revealed three times chicken (Gallus gallus) and twice equines (Equus spp.) as hosts. Sand fly abundance was generally associated with availability of hosts.Conclusion: This study reports an unexpectedly high abundance of Ph. mascittii at studied Austrian localities and provides the first detailed analysis of its ecology to date. Temperature and humidity were shown to be good predictors for sand fly activity. Blood meal analyses support the assumption that Ph. mascittii feeds on mammals as well as birds. The study significantly contributes to understanding the ecology of this sand fly species in Central Europe and facilitates prospective entomological surveys.