Menacanthus is a genus of chewing lice which parasitise birds.

[4] Some Menacanthus species remain to be discovered, or are synonymised in error.

[2] Menacanthus lice feed on the blood of a wide variety of birds, including chickens, by piercing the quills of feathers and gnawing the epidermis.

In doing so, they can spread disease and lower egg production.

[7] On sparrows, Menacanthus lice are particularly common, and are found in many different niches, consuming blood and feathers.