OXPECKERS

« Dr Ian John Whyte is an independent environmental consultant who retired from SANParks in 2007. He was previously engaged in full-time wildlife research in Kruger National Park from 1970-2007. At the time of retirement, he was responsible for the coordination of all research projects pertaining to elephant, buffalo and other large herbivores and rare antelope. He is a member of the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission’s African Elephant Specialist Group. He has co-authored two field guides to the birds of the Kruger National Park and is in the process of publishing a book about his life and work in KNP.

“Oxpeckers live in highly developed symbiotic relationships with many of Africa’s larger herbivores.”

Oxpeckers live in highly developed symbiotic relationships with many of Africa’s larger herbivores. The relationship may better be described as ‘mutualism’ in which both species – the herbivore and the bird – are the beneficiaries. The names for these (‘Live on the cattle’) or (‘Live on the buffalo’) and in Afrikaans they are called (rhino birds).