Yellow-billed Oxpecker.
15th December 2023
When walking through the Savannah it’s very important to avoid standing in one spot for any length of time, especially where livestock are present because in this hot and dry environment Ticks are prevalent. These horrible parasitic arachnids attach themselves to these animals and embed into their skin, especially where skin folds or overlaps or around the eyes. They then drink the blood of these animals and sometime infect them with very nasty diseases.
They will readily do the same to humans given the chance, and if the Tick is carrying ‘Lymes’ disease e.g. unless treated quickly there can be very serious life changing consequences. Wearing good quality socks and tucking your trousers into them is fundamental.
Livestock cannot remove these Ticks themselves and as a result they can become really distressed if a Tick is near their eye or in their inner ear. This is where nature has provided a solution in the form of the Yellow-billed Oxpecker, these birds remove Ticks from animals all day long and are tolerated around ears, eyes and udders etc. because the animals know they are being helped.
If the birds are disturbed by someone they just fly up into the air, circle around and come back down to the same animal to resume their Tick removal.
They will readily do the same to humans given the chance, and if the Tick is carrying ‘Lymes’ disease e.g. unless treated quickly there can be very serious life changing consequences. Wearing good quality socks and tucking your trousers into them is fundamental.
Livestock cannot remove these Ticks themselves and as a result they can become really distressed if a Tick is near their eye or in their inner ear. This is where nature has provided a solution in the form of the Yellow-billed Oxpecker, these birds remove Ticks from animals all day long and are tolerated around ears, eyes and udders etc. because the animals know they are being helped.
If the birds are disturbed by someone they just fly up into the air, circle around and come back down to the same animal to resume their Tick removal.