''Columbicola columbae'', also known as the slender pigeon louse, is a species of lice in the genus ''
Columbicola''. It is very host-specific, feeding primarily on only 4 different species of birds. ''C. columbae'' are
ectoparasites
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The en ...
, usually feeding only on the superficial layer of the skin.
References
Lice
Parasites of birds
{{Parasite-insect-stub