red-billed oxpecker

bird

Also known as: Buphagus erythrorhynchus

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Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

The red-billed oxpecker is a bird species native to Africa, belonging to the genus Buphagus. These birds, measuring about 20 cm (8 inches) long, are brown with wide bills, stiff tails, and sharp claws. They are known for perching on large mammals like cattle, zebras, and rhinoceroses to feed on ticks, flies, and maggots found on their hides.1

While some once believed oxpeckers were parasites that fed on animal blood, research suggests they primarily target areas with high tick densities, indicating a mutualistic relationship with their hosts. This association benefits both the bird, by providing food, and the mammal, by removing irritating pests.12

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oxpecker
africanus) and the red-billed (B. erythrorhynchus)—are brown, measure 20 cm (8 inches) long, and have wide bills, stiff tails, and sharp claws. They perch on and cling to cattle, zebras, rhinoceroses, and other ungulates to remove ticks, flies, and maggots from their hides; when alarmed, the
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africanus) and the red-billed (B. erythrorhynchus)—are brown, measure 20 cm (8 inches) long, and have wide bills, stiff tails, and sharp claws. They perch on and cling to cattle, zebras, rhinoceroses, and other ungulates to remove ticks, flies, and maggots from their hides; when alarmed, the
Read More