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

Oxpeckers are birds in the starling family, genus Buphagus, and often perch on large herbivores to peck at parasites, such as zebras, buffalo, rhinos, elands, black-faced impalas, hippos, giraffes and even elephants. On the African savanna, basically wherever there are large herbivorous mammals, oxpeckers are present. Let us take a look below at what the relationship between oxpeckers and rhinos actually is!

What is the relationship between oxpeckers and rhinos?

Oxpeckers and rhinos have a mutually beneficial, cooperative relationship. For the oxpecker, the rhino is a banquet table that moves on its own, because the rhino is infested with many delicious-tasting ticks, enough to give it a full meal. For the rhino, the oxpecker can remove the parasites on its body and can also warn it 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 the rhino's body and at insects kicked up while it walks. On the other hand, these small birds also play the role of “sentinel”; at the slightest abnormality they call out and fly off the rhino, so that the rhino promptly receives the “alarm”.

Are oxpeckers really so benevolent?

Oxpeckers are not entirely benevolent. While doing their wound-cleaning and care 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 it. At this time, the beak that is normally flat and used for grooming becomes a sharp cutting knife, slowly enlarging the wound and directly sucking blood. Moreover, these wounds generally do not scab easily, so the oxpeckers 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 oxpeckers.

What kinds of oxpeckers are there?

1. Yellow-billed oxpecker: The yellow-billed oxpecker has a body length of 20 cm and a body weight of 57-71 cm. The bill is broad, the tail is stiff, and the claws are sharp. The upper body, wing coverts and tail are dark brown or olive gray, while the rump and some tail coverts are tawny. The underparts and the chest and abdomen are light 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. 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 body weight of 42-59 g. The syrinx structure and syringeal muscles are complex; the 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 weak, and the scales along the rear edge of the tarsometatarsus often fuse into a single plate. The skull is of the passerine palatal type. The nest is mostly elaborate, and the chicks are altricial. Its body shape and plumage color are similar to the yellow-billed oxpecker, slightly smaller, with the difference being that the bill is red.