is no unambiguous evidence that plumicolous feather mites chew holes in feathers; such damage is usually caused by feather lice. Also, it has been reported that feather mites of the great-spotted woodpecker (Dryobates major) and the hoopoe (Upupa epops) avoid white spots on the feathers and instead aggregate on melanized areas 5. Thus, as we stressed in our review 3 , extrapolating from lice to...