Bird News | Bird Book | Bird Care | Home
State of the Nations' Birds
Dictionary | Encyclopaedia | Search | Visitor Information

 

Feather louse

A member of the insect sub-order Mallophaga living as an ectoparasite among a bird's feathers. These lice are very common among birds, feeding on the feathers themselves, and many are host-specific. Birds are also likely to be infested with 'louse-flies', which have a characteristic flattened shape and feed by sucking blood. They are members of the family Hippoboscidae, hence the use of the term 'hippoboscids' to describe them.

Search Bird Dictionary

From Peter Weaver's Birdwatcher's Dictionary
Copyright © 1981 by Peter Weaver


Bird News | Bird Book | Bird Care | Home
State of the Nations' Birds
Dictionary | Encyclopaedia | Search | Visitor Information | Mail to Bird On!
Sponsored by Jacobi Jayne & Company