Bird Louse (Chewing Louse)
Scientific Name: Mallophaga (Suborder)
Order & Family: Phthiraptera; families vary (e.g., Philopteridae, Menoponidae)
Size: 0.5 mm to 10 mm (most are 1-4 mm)
Natural Habitat
The plumage of birds or occasionally the fur of mammals; found worldwide wherever hosts exist.
Diet & Feeding
Feeds on feathers, skin fragments, dermal debris, and sometimes blood or sebum from the host's surface.
Behavior Patterns
They are permanent ectoparasites that spend their entire life cycle on a host. They use specialized claws to cling to feathers and move rapidly between them.
Risks & Benefits
They do not transmit diseases to humans but cause irritation, feather damage, and stress to bird hosts. They can occasionally bite humans if handled, but cannot survive long off a host.
Identified on: 1/5/2026