What is the relationship between oxpeckers and rhinos? Uncovering the reason the two are inseparable

The oxpecker is a small bird that lives on the bodies of large herbivores. It not only pecks at parasites on rhinos, but also pecks at parasites on zebras, buffaloes, antelopes, hippos, giraffes and other animals. So, what is the relationship between oxpeckers and rhinos?

1. What is the relationship between oxpeckers and rhinos?

Oxpeckers and rhinos have a mutually beneficial relationship. For the oxpecker, a rhino is a banquet table that moves on its own, because the rhino's body is host to many tasty ticks, enough to give it a full meal. For the rhino, the oxpecker can remove the parasites on its body and can also sound an alarm when danger appears. The rhino's leisurely contentment and the oxpecker's busyness form an interesting contrast. Oxpeckers often stand on rhinos pecking at the parasites on their bodies and at insects kicked up as they walk. On the other hand, these small birds also play the role of “sentinel”: at the slightest sign of something unusual they call out and fly off the rhino, letting the rhino receive the “alarm” in time and react accordingly.

2. Are oxpeckers really so benign?

Oxpeckers are not entirely benign. While doing their wound-cleaning and nursing work, they will also mercilessly suck the host's blood, even to the point of being bloodthirsty and cruel. Once they find a small wound on a herbivore, they will never miss the chance. At this point the beak that is normally flat and used for grooming becomes a sharp cutting blade, slowly enlarging the wound and directly sucking blood, and these wounds generally do not scab easily, so the oxpecker will have fresh blood to eat for several days. In addition, these wounds also breed more blood-sucking ticks and parasites, which are also a long-term food source for the oxpecker. When pecking at parasites, the oxpecker will also take a few bites of rhino flesh.

3. What kinds of oxpeckers are there?

1. Yellow-billed oxpecker

The yellow-billed oxpecker has a body length of 20 cm and a weight of 57-71 cm. Its bill is broad, its tail stiff, and its claws sharp. The upperparts, wing coverts and tail are dark brown or olive gray, the rump and some tail coverts are tawny, and the underparts and chest and belly are pale brown. The head and throat resemble the underparts. The bill is flat and broad, yellow at the base and red near the tip. The eyes are red or orange with a narrow eye ring, and the legs and feet are dark brown to black.

2. Red-billed oxpecker

The red-billed oxpecker has a body length of 20 cm and a weight of 42-59 g, somewhat lighter than the yellow-billed species. Its syrinx structure and syringeal muscles are complex, its feet are anisodactyl with three toes forward and one back, and the hind toe is equal in length to the middle toe. The legs are slender, and the scales along the rear edge of the tarsometatarsus often fuse into a single plate. The skull is of the passerine palate type. Red-billed oxpeckers mostly build elaborate nests, and the chicks are altricial. In body form and plumage color it resembles the yellow-billed oxpecker but is slightly smaller, the difference being that its bill is red.

The above is Tuliu.com's editor's introduction to the relationship between oxpeckers and rhinos. Do you understand it all now?