Bovicola is the genus of tiny, external, parasitic insects commonly known as biting lice or chewing lice. These lice occur on birds and some mammals (such as cattle, horses, goats, sheep, cats, and dogs), and their mouthparts are designed to chew and feed on feathers, hair, and skin scales.

Biting lice range in size from about 1/20 to 1/8 inch long. They can be detected with the naked eye, although a microscope is needed to distinguish the miniature features on their bodies. The louse has a flattened body, a wide head with chewing mouthparts, legs that often have claws to grasp hairs and feathers, and no wings.

Even though about 3,000 can be listed, different species of Bovicola are generally associated with a particular animal host (often termed host specific) upon which all of its life cycles -- including feeding and reproduction -- occur. After mating with an adult male, an adult female lays eggs called nits that are cemented onto the hairs or feathers of the host, usually close to the skin. When hatched, the larva looks like a smaller and paler version of the adult, and it is ready to feed. At this stage, the larva is called a nymph and will molt three times over several weeks before maturing into an adult.

Although a tiny parasite, when thousands of lice infest a single animal, their feeding activity can result in hair or feather loss, blood loss, itching, secondary infection, and scratches and bruises from rubbing.