This critter actually came into my possession on December 8, 2010. It is a bird louse. The Central High Plains has quite a large migration of waterfowl this time of year. I tried my hand at waterfowl hunting this year and discovered that it is pretty easy to find lice on ducks. This one was taken from a mallard. I honestly do not know what species this is; there are about 15 species of avian louse. Perhaps it is a species of
Anaticola, as these are frequently found on ducks. These lice are not known to transmit any diseases to ducks, but I would guess that a heavy infestation might be irritating.
