The effect that the Red-billed oxpecker has on on the Impala is called mutualism. This bird eats mainly ticks but may also eat blood-sucking flies, fleas, and lice off the Impala. Both organisms benefit from this because the Impala is getting the parasites that could harm it off of itself from the ox-pecker. The oxpecker benefits from it because it is getting food from the parasites on it. The Red-billed oxpecker is mainly found in the Savannah of Sub-Saharan Africa.
The life span of this animal can be up to 15 years. The qualities that help it survive is when alarmed, the birds hiss, alerting their hosts for possible danger.
Some interesting facts about this animal are:
- The adult species can consume over a hundred ticks and over a thousand of larvae a day.
- Their favorite food is blood.
- It lays 2-5 eggs.
- The birds also trim wounds on their hosts hides and feed on the blood.
- Oxpeckers have very short legs and sharp claws, which help them in perching on the backs of large mammals, both wild and domesticated.
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