Buphagus africanus; Buphagus erythrorhynchus

The Yellow-billed Oxpecker Buphagus africanus and Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorhynchus have a long history with mankind. These birds are associated with large animals such as antelopes, bovines, horses and rhinoceroses that supply them with ticks as a food source. This symbiotic relationship between Africa’s large beasts and the two oxpecker species has existed for millennia but was nearly destroyed in the 20th century due to man’s intervention.

Cattle, mostly bred from the European Bos Taurus, were brought into Africa by European explorers and settlers.

Used to Europe’s mild climate, Bos Taurus descendents were not prepared for the ‘small predators’ of Africa and pests like the Tsetse Fly, Blackfly and various ticks took their toll on the European cattle. On the other hand, African cattle were exposed to a process of natural selection and are thus immune to most of the local pests and parasites.

Oxpeckers make no distinction between the cattle species and flocked to cattle herds to feed on ticks and their larvae. Despite the service of oxpeckers, European cattle continued to suffer from heavy tick loads and tick-borne diseases. Thus, farmers began to utlise arsenical, organochlorine and organophosphate dips which led to the extinction of the Yellow-billed Oxpecker in South Africa. Luckily, the Red-billed Oxpecker survived.

Fortunately, the introduction of environmentally-compatible chemicals, pyrethroid and amidine acaricides brought new hope for oxpeckers. Yellow-billed Oxpeckers recolonised the northeastern parts of South Africa late in the 20th century and Red-billed Oxpeckers are more widely distributed. Oxpeckers can be one of the farmer’s greatest natural allies on game and cattle farms. It is therefore very important to employ farming practices which offer the birds the best chance of survival by managing tick infestations with the correct products and management protocols.

The EWT’s Poison Working Group runs Operation Oxpecker which aims to conserve existing populations of Yellow-billed and Red-billed Oxpeckers in South Africa and to expand these populations into areas where oxpeckers used to occur before the introduction of oxpecker incompatible ectoparasiticides. This is done by advising farmers, working with legislators and chemical manufacturers, and educating the public.