This gannet (Bonaventure Island) looks none too happy but this is unlikely to be caused by the feather louse on its head. Feather lice (Mallophaga) are insects that live on the outside of birds and eat bits of feather, skin and body fluids. They do the bird no harm unless the infestation is heavy. Some species of feather lice are unique to their host species of bird- that is to say they occur on no other bird species. The louse's body is long and thin and adapted to crawling in narrow channels between small bits of feather.
40D, 500 mm f4
capture date: Sunday, June 15, 2008 4:30:45 PM
exposure program: Manual +2 off grey sky
ISO speed: 400
shutter speed: 1/640
aperture: f8.0
exposure bias: +0.0
metering: Pattern
flash: ON - Beamer, -2/3







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