Buphagidae

E673384

Buphagidae is a small family of African passerine birds known as oxpeckers, which feed on ticks and other parasites found on large mammals.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Buphagidae canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf bird family
taxon
class Aves
commonName oxpeckers
containsTaxon Buphagus africanus NERFINISHED
Buphagus erythrorhynchus NERFINISHED
diet blood
ectoparasites
insects
ticks
distribution Africa
ecologicalRole cleaner of large mammals
etymology from Greek "bous" (ox) and "phagein" (to eat)
foragingBehavior gleaning parasites from large mammals
genus Buphagus NERFINISHED
habitat grassland
open woodland
savanna
hostDependency high dependence on large mammal hosts for feeding
kingdom Animalia
namedAfter genus Buphagus
nativeTo sub-Saharan Africa NERFINISHED
notableTrait feeds on ticks attached to hosts
perches on large mammals
sharp bill adapted for picking parasites
strong claws for clinging to mammal hides
numberOfGenera 1
numberOfSpecies 2
order Passeriformes
parasiticBehavior may open wounds on hosts to feed on blood
phylum Chordata
recognizedBy BirdLife International NERFINISHED
IOC World Bird List NERFINISHED
International Ornithologists' Union NERFINISHED
reproduction cavity nester
socialBehavior gregarious
suborder Passeri NERFINISHED
superfamily Passeroidea NERFINISHED
symbioticRelationshipType mutualism
symbioticRelationshipWith large African mammals
taxonRank family
typicalHost antelope
buffalo
cattle
giraffe
rhinoceros
vocalization loud chattering calls

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Muscicapoidea includesFamily Buphagidae