The Philopteridae are a family of Ischnocera, chewing lice. They are parasitic on birds. Philopteridae are a highly diverse family with more than 2,700 described species. They probably evolved from a generalist species parasitizing water birds, with a subsequent adaptive radiation facilitated by host switching. Individual species specialize in inhabiting different parts of the body (head, body, wings). Species inhabiting the same part of the host tend to show similar morphology, even if not closely related – they show convergent evolution.

Genera

Some notable species are also listed.