Mutualism in the wild: How oxpeckers, mammals thrive

Still, regardless of how oxpeckers have been portrayed, it is evident that their relationship with their host animals is a sight to behold. The red-billed bird rides on the backs of rhinos, cave buffaloes, and zebras, among other large mammals. Termed as a mutualistic relationship, their presence on the backs of these large animals serves as a parasite-control agent. The bird feeds on ticks and other parasites feeding on the animal, reaching places of their bodies not even a swatting tail can get close to, not only getting rid of the harmful pests but also the irritation they cause to the animals. In a unique display of an awesomely balanced ecosystem, one can only imagine that the absence of these sharp, tiny birds would change the landscape in Tanzania’s wilderness.

Though the oxpecker’s name derives from its habit of perching on large animals, it is more than that. Its distinctive high-pitched sounds have been known to warn or alert other mammals of pending predators lurking where the host animal can’t see.

The watchman on the back of the beast. While humans would employ expensive technology and human power to guard against an intruder, these large majestic mammals enjoy the services of tiny noisy birds to alert them of the dangers surrounding them. Security with wings and a beak has proven dependable and of mutual benefit; thus, buffaloes and giraffes don’t mind having them pecking at their backs in exchange for their peace of mind.

In African oral education, the oxpeckers have been narrated in positive and cautionary tales alike, from a guardian on the backs of the beasts, teaching about respecting even the small and those perceived as insignificant in life, to cautionary tales of not all friends who help you are genuinely there for you, depicting an oxpecker as a friend who will help pick parasites but draw blood and worsen wounds without you knowing.

The folktales warn against tiny aspects of one’s life that you might ignore but be detrimental. But in some traditions birds are also seen as messengers communicating between the spiritual world and the world of the living; the oxpeckers’ ability to ride on these large beasts like elephants and peck their ears is seen as birds ‘whispering’ these animals’ communication messages. The interpretation of these mysterious birds varies across cultures and traditions, but they have been a constant feature among wildlife in many Tanzanian national parks where you find these large mammals grazing. In Serengeti National Park, home to the great migration, oxpeckers are a constant companion to the wildebeests and zebras crossing the Mara and Grumeti rivers.

The picturesque moments in wildlife-rich Ngorongoro Crater with a huge population of buffaloes and hippos – there are a lot of oxpeckers gathering on top of these mammals, often seen with the hippos resting in the water. For elephant enthusiasts, Tarangire National Park presents a perfect opportunity to see a mutualistic relationship at play; just like the elephants love baobab trees, oxpeckers love hopping on the backs of these humongous mammals and feeding on whatever parasites suck on their hides.

In the mix of grassland and the forest, Lake Manyara National Park, with a huge population of bushbuck and buffaloes, the oxpecker is among the birds nesting at this park. Living among other bird species, Lake Manyara is a paradise for bird watchers who would be interested in studying the oxpecker’s relationship with the mammals and go even further in studies of other majestic birds found in Tanzania. The unspoiled wilderness in remote national parks like Ruaha National Park, located in the southern highlands and home to elephants, kudus, and antelopes, has a huge oxpecker population; the national park has a variety of animals that accommodate the oxpeckers in exchange for their tick-eating services.

For an intimate sighting of the oxpecker at a closer range, Mikumi and Nyerere National Parks are ideal; less populated by tourists, the parks are home to huge herbivores, the oxpeckers’ preferred habitat. The oxpeckers often fly outside the national parks and have conjured relationships with livestock in the neighbouring pastoral communities, who have been more than welcoming; the oxpeckers have proven to be a much cheaper tick-control measure than the expensive veterinary services. Their cattle are prone to deadly diseases like babesiosis, which could be a great economic disaster if it affects a large share of livestock. The Oxpack is revered as a tiny hero and protector, the celebrated guest to the pastoral communities that hardly welcome outsiders.

Skilled at detecting blood-sucking ticks, these small allies have helped get rid of deadly diseases that could wipe out wildlife and livestock on an unimaginable scale. Diseases like East Coast fever, spread by brown ear ticks, could cause economic devastation and calamity, but by the pecking of this red-billed bird around the ears of these large mammals, they have been able to play a role in preventing the transmission. The natural tick controllers, as they are called, have been vital in helping communities surrounding Tanzania national parks prevent the spread of these diseases.

Scientists have observed a dark side of these cute and harmless-looking red-billed birds; the oxpecker would, in some cases, not only feed on ticks but also the blood of their host mammal, occasionally keeping the wound from healing so that they can return and feed on the same spot to drink blood.

This often happens among buffaloes and cattle where there is a huge oxpecker population. Sometimes these little greedy birds would ignore the engorged ticks, the ones that haven’t eaten, and go for the bigger, blood-filled ticks, defeating their purpose of preventing the ticks from feeding on their host mammal. Like any relationship, these birds can sometimes get aggressive and irritating, causing the herbivore to shake them off, and like all partnerships, no one gets a perfect one. What ecologists call facultative mutualism. Someone in the relationship has survived for the mere fact that they can’t live without each other. The behaviour exhibited by oxpeckers is similar to that of jackdaws, the birds found in Europe. Both birds depend on their social skills to get closer to the big mammals they depend on for safety, feeding, and nesting.

Oxpeckers are abundant in Tanzania and are still among birdwatchers’ favourite species.

They are iconic safari birds whenever you visit a national park in Tanzania.

In most safari pictures taken of the big herbivores, oxpeckers are sure to photobomb; they are unavoidable and bold tiny birds that are sure to make their presence known from Serengeti and Ngorongoro to Ruaha National Park.