23-2-2026 MADIKWE GAME RESERVE, SOUTH AFRICA - RED BILLED OXPECKER (Buphagus erythrorhynchus)

The red-billed oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorynchus) is a passerine bird in the oxpecker family, Buphagidae. It is native to the eastern savannah of sub-Saharan Africa, from the Central African Republic east to South Sudan and south to northern and eastern South Africa. It is more widespread than the yellow-billed oxpecker in Southern Africa, where their ranges overlap.

The red-billed oxpecker is a native of the savanna of sub-Saharan Africa. It ranges across Ethiopia and Somalia through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia to southern Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, and north-eastern South Africa.

A juvenile oxpecker is darker brown than its parents. Its bill is dark olive at first, but gradually takes on adult colouration after four months. Its flight is strong and direct, and their call is a hissy crackling trik-quisss.

The red-billed oxpecker nests in tree holes lined with hair plucked from livestock. It lays two to five eggs, with three being the average. Outside the breeding season it forms large, chattering flocks.

The preferred habitat is open country, and the red-billed oxpecker eats insects. Both the English and scientific names arise from this species' habit of perching on large wild and domesticated mammals such as cattle and eating ticks. This species's relationship with rhinos gives the Swahili name Askari wa kifaru meaning "the rhino's guard".

An adult will take nearly 100 blood-engorged female Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus ticks, or more than 12,000 larvae in a day. However, their preferred food is blood, and while they may take ticks bloated with blood, they also feed on it directly, pecking at the mammal's wounds to keep them open.

Field observations in rhinos have shown oxpeckers warning the nearsighted rhino of danger.

6-4-2018 THORNYBUSH GAME LODGE, SOUTH AFRICA - RED BILLED OXPECKER (Buphagus erythrorhynchus)

The red-billed oxpecker, known scientifically as Buphagus erythrorynchus, is a passerine bird distinguished by its mutualistic relationship with large mammals. It is a member of the Buphagidae family, characterized by its striking red bill.

Adult red-billed oxpeckers exhibit a sharp contrast between their red bills and predominantly brown plumage. Juveniles, however, are darker in color and possess an olive bill that transitions to the adult's red as they mature, a process taking approximately four months. In flight, these birds are robust and purposeful, easily recognized by their hissy, crackling calls.

The red-billed oxpecker is a denizen of the open savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa, where it thrives in the expansive grasslands dotted with acacia trees.

6-4-2018 THORNYBUSH GAME LODGE, SOUTH AFRICA - RED BILLED OXPECKER (Buphagus erythrorhynchus)

The red-billed oxpecker, known scientifically as Buphagus erythrorynchus, is a passerine bird distinguished by its mutualistic relationship with large mammals. It is a member of the Buphagidae family, characterized by its striking red bill.

Adult red-billed oxpeckers exhibit a sharp contrast between their red bills and predominantly brown plumage. Juveniles, however, are darker in color and possess an olive bill that transitions to the adult's red as they mature, a process taking approximately four months. In flight, these birds are robust and purposeful, easily recognized by their hissy, crackling calls.

The red-billed oxpecker is a denizen of the open savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa, where it thrives in the expansive grasslands dotted with acacia trees.

This species is widespread across the eastern savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa, from the Central African Republic and South Sudan in the north, extending southwards to the northern and eastern regions of South Africa.

Outside of breeding seasons, red-billed oxpeckers congregate in large, sociable flocks. They exhibit a fascinating behavior of nesting in tree holes, which they line with hair plucked from livestock. Their diet primarily consists of insects, but they are particularly known for perching on large mammals to feed on ticks and blood, a behavior that has earned them their name.

The red-billed oxpecker's vocalizations are distinctive, described as a hissy, crackling "trik-quisss," which can be heard as they interact with each other or while in flight.

Breeding red-billed oxpeckers lay clutches of two to five eggs, with three being the average, in nests lined with hair from animals such as impala.

The red-billed oxpecker can be confused with its close relative, the yellow-billed oxpecker, although the latter is less common in Southern Africa where their ranges overlap.

An adult red-billed oxpecker can consume a significant number of blood-engorged ticks or thousands of larvae in a single day. While ticks are a part of their diet, these birds have a preference for blood, often pecking at wounds on mammals to keep them open for feeding.

The IUCN Red List classifies the red-billed oxpecker as Least Concern, indicating that the species currently faces no significant threats to its survival.