bird louse

Parasitic biting louse, found mainly on birds, less frequently on mammals. Bird lice are wingless ectoparasites (living on the skin of their hosts), have biting mouthparts (as opposed to true lice which have sucking mouthparts), and reduced eyes.

Classification Bird lice are in the order Mallophaga, class Insecta, phylum Arthropoda.

The chicken body louse Menacanthus stramineus is small, yellowish, and about 2.8–3.3 mm/0.1–0.13 in long. The parasite feeds on the skin debris and feathers of the chicken. A heavily infested bird can carry over 8,000 lice on its body. The host appears to withstand the usual degree of infestation without apparent ill-effects, but heavy infestation can result in loss of plumage and a decline in the bird's health.