The current state of ornithological knowledge regarding the inhabitants of our native birds. Birds provide a habitat for other, smaller organisms. Since the companions of birds live mostly hidden and are often very small, making them not easily recognizable from the feathers, they are rarely noticed and are known to only a few specialists. There is still a significant need for research on the ectoparasite fauna of our native wild birds. Knowledge gaps exist regarding the species spectrum, host selection, and biology of feather-dwelling inhabitants such as ticks, fleas, bird blood flies, feather mites, and feather louse mites. The authors present the current state of knowledge and offer well-founded information on the feather habitat and its inhabitants to all nature lovers, ornithologists, bird enthusiasts and breeders, as well as veterinarians. With a foreword by Prof. Dr.