The yellow-billed oxpecker is a passerine bird in the family Buphagidae. It was previously placed in the starling and myna family, Sturnidae.
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
Typical Environment
Found across savannas, open woodlands, and grasslands wherever large wild ungulates or cattle are common. It frequents game reserves, ranchlands, and waterholes where herds gather. The species is largely sedentary but may move locally tracking host availability and seasonal grazing. It avoids dense forest and extremely arid areas lacking large mammals.
Altitude Range
0–2500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The yellow-billed oxpecker rides on large mammals such as buffalo, giraffe, antelope, and cattle, picking off ticks and other ectoparasites. Its bill is mostly yellow with a red base, and it has a conspicuous red eye-ring. While often helpful to hosts, it may also feed on blood at wounds and keep them open, making the relationship a mix of mutualism and parasitism.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Often in small flocks that move among herds, perching and riding on hosts. Nests in tree cavities lined with hair plucked from mammals; pairs are typically monogamous during the breeding season. Roosting is communal, sometimes near regular host congregation sites.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Emits sharp, hissing and chattering notes used for contact while foraging on hosts. Calls are repetitive, high-pitched, and carry well over open savanna. Alarm notes are harsher and more rapid.
