Red-billed oxpecker

Buphagus erythrorhynchus

The Red-billed oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) is a bird found in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana. Savanna in eastern and southern Africa. It eats insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Buphagus erythrorhynchus
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana

🏡 Where the Red-billed oxpecker lives

Savanna in eastern and southern Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs100%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It rides on big animals like zebras and eats ticks off their skin.

Hear the Red-billed oxpecker

Recorded by Lynette Rudman (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC718396. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Red-billed oxpecker

Where does the Red-billed oxpecker live?

The Red-billed oxpecker lives in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana. Savanna in eastern and southern Africa.

What does the Red-billed oxpecker eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 100%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Red-billed oxpecker endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.