A new study started out as a school project about the lice found on wedge-tailed shearwaters, a native seabird.
Mikinley Weaver was working on degrees at Hawaiʻi Pacific University and the University of Florida, and combined his study of birds and ectoparasites in a class assignment.
Ectoparasites are lice, worms, and other creepy crawlies that live on the skin and hair of animals — in this case, Hawaiian wedge-tailed shearwaters.
Weaver spoke with The Conversation about the relationship between the birds and the parasites: what we do and don't know.
This story aired on The Conversation on Oct. 14, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
