Red-billed oxpecker

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/red-billed-oxpecker

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Red-billed oxpecker?Approximately 20 cm (8 inches) in length
2. What is the scientific name?Buphagus erythrorynchus
3. What is the diet?Primarily ectoparasites (ticks, lice), earwax, and blood from wounds on large mammals
4. What does a red-billed oxpecker eat?They eat ticks, lice, and other parasites that live on big animals. They also sometimes eat earwax, blood, and pus from wounds.
5. Where do red-billed oxpeckers live?They live in open savannas with scattered trees in eastern sub‑Saharan Africa, from the Central African Republic east to South Sudan and south into northern and eastern South Africa.

Endemic: Native or restricted to a certain country or area.
Ectoparasite: A parasite, such as a flea or tick, that lives on the outside of its host.
Mutualistic: A symbiotic relationship where both species benefit.
Passerine: Belonging to the order Passeriformes, characterized by perching feet and typically complex songs.