Oxpecker – Hero or Villain? | WILD NATURE

Oxpeckers – Heroes or Villains? | WILD NATURE
It seems as though the jury is still out on whether the oxpecker is a hero or a villain.

It is true that the oxpecker scavenges ticks off a wide variety of the larger African mammals, which is probably a good thing, but it also picks at any wounds or sores on the host animal to keep them open and bleeding, which is probably a bad thing. Indeed, the favourite food of the oxpecker is blood. Many of the ticks that it feeds on are engorged females, which have already fed on the blood of the host animal, and have therefore already caused whatever harm they are likely to cause in terms of drinking blood and spreading disease. Too late to help the host, but great for the oxpecker! The open wounds also provide access to all manner of infections. Although the relationship between the oxpecker and the hosts used to be considered of mutual benefit, there is a growing tendency to regard the bird as a parasite offering little benefit to the host.

Sinners or saints, the oxpeckers are interesting little birds. They feed almost exclusively on the backs of larger mammals, not limiting themselves to a diet of ticks and blood, but also taking dead skin (finally a use for dandruff!!), mucus, saliva and even ear wax.

This entry was posted in Birding, General and tagged Buphagus africanus, Buphagus erythrorhynchus, oxpecker, Red-billed oxpecker, Yellow-billed oxpecker on June 8, 2011 by Rob

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