🐦 OXPECKER: THE RHINO'S BODYGUARD
PAGE 1 OF 5 — THE BACK-RIDING BIRD
BUPHAGUS
RIDING THE GIANT
On African savannas, small birds called oxpeckers hop onto the backs of huge mammals. You might spot them on rhinos, hippos, buffalo, zebra, and giraffes. Two species live in sub-Saharan Africa: the red-billed oxpecker, Buphagus erythrorhynchus, and the yellow-billed oxpecker, B. africanus. They cling to thick skin and peck at parasites hiding in fur and folds. From a distance it looks like free rides and free meals. But this partnership is more complicated than it seems. Oxpeckers help hosts in some ways and may harm them in others, which keeps scientists debating how mutual the relationship really is.
⚡ DID YOU KNOW?
Oxpeckers were once removed from some South African farms because farmers worried they slowed wound healing by drinking blood.
RIDE!
RED BILL
🔴 Buphagus erythrorhynchus has a bright red bill and is the more widespread oxpecker species.
🌍 It lives across eastern and southern Africa wherever large hoofed animals gather.
🌍 It lives across eastern and southern Africa wherever large hoofed animals gather.
YELLOW BILL
🟡 Buphagus africanus has a yellow bill and often prefers larger hosts like buffalo and rhino.
📍 Both species overlap in some regions, so you may see red and yellow bills on the same herd.
📍 Both species overlap in some regions, so you may see red and yellow bills on the same herd.