Birds of Africa - Zebra and Oxpeckers - Buphagidae - The two species of Oxpeckers are broadly distributed across sub-Saharan Africa where they are obligate commensals with large African mammals. They forage in small flocks on large mammals eating ticks, fleas and flies but also consuming wound tissue, blood and other secretions. They are thus considered to be semi-parasitic. They often favour large ungulates