diff --git a/ares/ares_gethostbyname.c b/ares/ares_gethostbyname.c
index 33093aaf0dc519b4aa9e835528dbdcbb9725618a..d737b41f28735272a6fd6446eba19a1614b84ca4 100644
--- a/ares/ares_gethostbyname.c
+++ b/ares/ares_gethostbyname.c
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <ctype.h>
+#ifdef HAVE_STRINGS_H
+#include <strings.h>
+#endif
 
 #include "ares.h"
 #include "ares_private.h"
diff --git a/ares/ares_parse_a_reply.c b/ares/ares_parse_a_reply.c
index 34f2d67e05236cee753789ef9f65177d38baa420..42c4ff7f21c2cfa2e80afe0b4c0ffa6185f4e234 100644
--- a/ares/ares_parse_a_reply.c
+++ b/ares/ares_parse_a_reply.c
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@
 #include <arpa/nameser_compat.h>
 #endif
 #endif
+#ifdef HAVE_STRINGS_H
+#include <strings.h>
+#endif
 
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
diff --git a/ares/ares_parse_aaaa_reply.c b/ares/ares_parse_aaaa_reply.c
index 95e0c3053ae017ff9168335c1ff99115d4e44606..30706328b3b2796f94545536b5c88e02c621183b 100644
--- a/ares/ares_parse_aaaa_reply.c
+++ b/ares/ares_parse_aaaa_reply.c
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@
 #include <arpa/nameser_compat.h>
 #endif
 #endif
+#ifdef HAVE_STRINGS_H
+#include <strings.h>
+#endif
 
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
diff --git a/ares/ares_parse_ptr_reply.c b/ares/ares_parse_ptr_reply.c
index 7025158fb9d58d7f313c97d306eb27a607ab6e5c..070bce8657a11896b6edae06329dc42cd8b5f6a3 100644
--- a/ares/ares_parse_ptr_reply.c
+++ b/ares/ares_parse_ptr_reply.c
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@
 #include <arpa/nameser_compat.h>
 #endif
 #endif
+#ifdef HAVE_STRINGS_H
+#include <strings.h>
+#endif
 
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
diff --git a/ares/ares_process.c b/ares/ares_process.c
index d977d0937f659bab6087a8f70ae9425aeaea4e09..442e3280cd7f5fb3c09f8366e161d75d3bb30af2 100644
--- a/ares/ares_process.c
+++ b/ares/ares_process.c
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@
 #endif
 #endif /* WIN32 && !WATT32 */
 
+#ifdef HAVE_STRINGS_H
+#include <strings.h>
+#endif
 #ifdef HAVE_UNISTD_H
 #include <unistd.h>
 #endif
diff --git a/ares/configure.ac b/ares/configure.ac
index f3b80cfd13efd4258d4cf5d31888add4eb558676..203f8093acc61ac6ea6a15bc638e38ea77baa12c 100644
--- a/ares/configure.ac
+++ b/ares/configure.ac
@@ -383,6 +383,7 @@ AC_CHECK_HEADERS(
        netinet/tcp.h \
        net/if.h \
        errno.h \
+       strings.h \
        stdbool.h \
        arpa/nameser.h \
        arpa/nameser_compat.h \