Interactions between red-billed oxpeckers, Buphagus erythrorhynchus, and domestic cattle, Bos taurus, in Zimbabwe

Article Abstract:

On cattle at Sentinel Ranch in the lowveld of Zimbabwe, red-billed oxpeckers seem to prefer feeding on blood from open wounds to other forms of food. Cattle responded aggressively to some types of feeding by the oxpeckers, but could not stop this behaviour. It is likely that wound feeding is costly to cattle, as well as creating pain or irritation. Visible tick feeding was found to represent only a very small proportion of foraging time, with oxpeckers routinely ignoring visible ticks. It is uncertain how far these results can be used to generalize across other oxpecker hosts, as cattle have not coevolved with the birds.

Control, Cattle, Diseases and pests, Ticks, Oxpeckers

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Retaliatory cuckoos and the evolution of host resistance to brood parasites

Article Abstract:

Some avian brood parasites are able to retaliate and attack hosts which do not accept parasite eggs. A dynamic model of host resitance has been developed. The relationship studied involves the European magpie and the great spotted cuckoo, the only such relationship where retaliatory behavior has been proven. No strategy remains evolutionary stable, since stability will only occur when there are nonretaliatory parasites. Rejector hosts will move toward extinction as retaliators spread.

Analysis, Ornithological research, Cuckoos, Magpies

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