- Oxpeckers also feed on the earwax and dandruffs of mammals, although less is
known about the benefits of this to the mammal, it is suspected that this is
also a parasitic behaviour. - The breeding season of the oxpeckers, in at least one location, is linked to the
rainy season, which affects the activity of their mammalian hosts and the tick
loads of those hosts. - The typical clutch is between two to three eggs, but the Red-billed Oxpecker may lay up to five eggs.
- Oxpeckers have very short legs and sharp claws.
- There are two species of oxpeckers, both about 9 in. (23 cm)
long, with brown plumage and lacking distinctive markings.