DISTRIBUTION OF CHEWING LICE UPON THE POLYGYNOUS PEACOCK PAVO-CRISTATUS

An opportunistic survey of louse distribution upon the peacock Pave cr istatus was undertaken following a cull of 23 birds from an English zo o. After complete skin and feather dissolution, 2 species of lice were retrieved, Goniodes pavonis and Amyrsidea minuta. The distribution of both louse species could be described by a negative binomial model. T he significance of this is discussed in relation to transmission dynam ics of lice in the atypical avian mating system found in the peacock, which involves no male parental care.