Oxpecker, also known as the tickbird, is a small bird that perches on large mammals, eating ticks and other small parasites from their skins and coats. There are two species (kinds) of oxpecker: the red-billed oxpecker and the yellow-billed oxpecker. Both species are similar in size, about 8 to 9 inches (20 to 23 centimeters) long and about 2 ounces (60 grams) in weight. Both species have grayish brown feathers, but the red-billed oxpecker has a dark rump, a red beak, and a yellow ring around each eye. The yellow-billed oxpecker has a pale rump and a yellow beak with a red tip. It does not have a ring around the eyes.
Oxpeckers live only in Africa south of the Sahara. They live in flocks of a few to more than a dozen individuals. At night, oxpeckers rest in groups, sleeping in trees, reed beds, or among rocks.
During the day, red-billed and yellow-billed oxpeckers can be seen perched on such large mammals as antelope, buffalo, cattle, donkeys, giraffes, rhinoceroses, and zebras. The oxpecker’s interaction with these animals is an example of a symbiotic relationship. In such a relationship, two different species of organisms live closely together. One member always benefits in a symbiotic relationship. The other member may also benefit, or it may be harmed or unaffected. Oxpeckers benefit by eating ticks that they pluck from these large animals’ bodies. An adult oxpecker can consume more than 12,000 larvae (young) or 100 blood-filled adult ticks daily. Oxpeckers also eat insects, earwax, and the nose, mouth, and eye secretions of their animal hosts. Blood, consumed directly or in blood-filled ticks, is an important part of the oxpecker’s diet. Oxpeckers have been observed pecking wounds to feed on the host animal’s blood and tissue. For this reason, oxpeckers have been called vampire birds. Oxpeckers were once widely thought to benefit their hosts by removing parasites, but some experts have questioned the overall value they provide.
Oxpeckers make their nests in natural holes in trees. A few helper oxpeckers assist in building a nest of grass and dung, as well as hair plucked from host animals. The female oxpecker lays two to five eggs at a time. The mother and father take turns sitting on the eggs, incubating them for 12 to 13 days. The helpers also participate in feeding the chicks once they hatch. The oxpecker leaves the nest and is able to fly 30 days after hatching.
