Lice on Feathers (IMAGE) University of Utah Caption Lice hide in tiny gaps inside feathers, called the interbarb space, to escape deadly beaks. If the lice are too big, the birds quickly snatch the up. But bigger female lice lay more eggs. Evolutionary winners occupy a sweet spot: They're small enough to hide, but big enough to outbreed their neighbors. Credit Scott Villa Usage Restrictions Non commercial with attribution License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.