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Authenticated records of chewing (feather) lice, largely from unpublished observations, are listed from birds in the New Zealand zoogeographic subregion, including the Ross Dependency in Antarctica. From a total of 388 host taxa (including 38 introductions), lice are reported from 250 hosts (including 27 introductions). These records comprise 267 lice species and subspecies; a further 138 records are listed at generic level only, but all these do not necessarily represent separate species. Although some bird groups have been collected from frequently, there are many gaps in our knowledge, even for these hosts. With some orders (e.g. Passeriformes) and families of birds, little or no attention has been paid to their ectoparasites. An appeal is made for assistance in building up collections.