Oxpecker
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Buphagus |
The oxpeckers are birds in the starling family Sturndidae, along with the starlings and mynas. This is a group of passerine birds native to sub-Saharan African savannah.
They are medium-sized passerines with strong feet. Their flight is strong and direct, and they are fairly gregarious. Their preferred habitat is open country, and they eat insects. Both the English and scientific names arise from their habit of perching on large mammals (both wild and domesticated) such as cattle, and eating ticks, botfly larvae, and other parasites which lodge in mammalian skin and must be dug out.
Their plumage is light brown, and the species can be distinguished by bill-colour. They nest in holes, often in walls, lined with hair plucked from livestock and lay 2-3 eggs.
The species are:
- Red-billed Oxpecker, Buphagus erythrorhynchus of east Africa
- Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Buphagus africanus of most of sub-saharan Africa.