Yellow-billed Oxpecker

Overview

The yellow-billed oxpecker, Buphagus africanus, is a passerine bird in the family Buphagidae that is native to the savannahs of Sub-Saharan Africa. Previously classified within the starling and myna family Sturnidae, it is widely recognised for its close association with large mammals.

Identification

• 20 cm long with plain brown upperparts and head, buff underparts, and a pale rump.
• Adults possess a strong, distinct bill that is yellow at the base and red at the tip, whereas juveniles have entirely brown bills.
• Flight is characterised as strong and direct.
• Vocalisation is described as a hissy, crackling krisss, krisss.

Habitat

This species inhabits the savannah of Sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east. It is least common in the extreme east of its range where it overlaps with the red-billed oxpecker, though it typically dominates that species when feeding.

Diet

The yellow-billed oxpecker feeds on insects and ticks, but its preferred food is blood, which it obtains by pecking at the wounds of mammal hosts until blood flows. In a single day, an adult may consume over 100 engorged female ticks or 13,000 larvae.

Did you know?

During the breeding season, the bird constructs nests in tree holes that are lined with hair plucked from livestock. This behaviour highlights the intimate and practical integration of the species with its host animals.