Introducing the Red-billed Oxpecker: Bird of the Year 2025

For almost 20 years, BirdLife South Africa has named a Bird of the Year. This tradition is a way of championing one of South Africa’s many incredible bird species. The BOTY is celebrated all year long to highlight the importance of conserving our precious avifauna. Although it’s always tough to narrow down the hundreds of wonderful species to just one, we’re thrilled to announce that the Red-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) is Bird of the Year for 2025.

The Red-billed Oxpecker, also known as the Rooibekrenostervoël (Afrikaans), ihlalankomo (isiZulu), and ihlalanyathi (isiXhosa) is a fascinating bird known for its complex relationship with large herbivores, such as buffalo, giraffes, and rhinos.

Red-billed oxpeckers are highly social and vocal, often seen in flocks, and are adaptable, feeding on a variety of animals and scavenging from carcasses when necessary. They nest in tree cavities, with both parents sharing incubation, and other members of the flock contributing to chick care. Found across sub-Saharan Africa in savannas, grasslands, and open woodlands, oxpeckers play a significant role in the ecosystem, particularly by their controlling of tick populations.

The breeding behavior of this species is fascinating and involves several key aspects. These birds typically nest in tree cavities or holes, where they lay 2 to 4 eggs, which are incubated by both parents. The oxpeckers form monogamous pairs during the breeding season, and both the male and female share responsibility for incubating the eggs, and multiple helpers from the flock help in caring for the chicks. The chicks are fed by regurgitation, with both parents and helpers contributing food, mainly small insects and parasites like ticks. Oxpeckers are often territorial during breeding and defend their nesting sites. The breeding season usually coincides with wetter months when food is abundant, and the chicks are altricial, relying on their parents for warmth and food until they are ready to leave the nest. These behaviors ensure the survival of the species and support its role in the ecosystem, particularly its relationship with large herbivores.

The Red-billed Oxpecker is currently classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This status indicates that the species is not facing significant immediate threats to its population over its entire range, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. In the species’ South African range, “It represents a conservation success story, as its numbers have increased and its range has expanded”, says our Chief Executive Officer, Mark D. Anderson. For decades, their population and range was shrinking, but in recent years, thanks to concerted conservation efforts, the tide has turned. Dr Lorinda Hart, our Birds & Agrochemicals Project Manager shares that “Although the population increase can partly be attributed to reintroductions into areas where they had previously been extirpated, farmers have assisted this useful species by using more oxpecker-friendly alternatives [to poisonous dips] to control ticks and other ectoparasites on their cattle and game.”

Join us in celebrating the Red-billed Oxpecker and supporting the conservation of these incredible birds and their habitats. Together, we can ensure that future generations can marvel at the beauty of the Red-billed Oxpecker.

© Owen Deutsch

Stay tuned to this web page, as BirdLife South Africa will create awareness about the Red-billed Oxpecker through the production of educational materials, such as posters, infographics, and learning resources for schools that will be free to download on this web page; articles in African Birdlife magazine; social media posts; and presentations to interested groups. Red-billed Oxpecker merchandise, such as T-shirts and pin badges, will also be on sale through BirdLife South Africa’s Shop for the Birds! from January 2025.

We would like to share our gratitude with our Bird of the Year sponsor, the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust, for once again making this initiative possible through the funds they generously donate towards BirdLife South Africa and the conservation of birds and biodiversity.

Lesson Plans

These lesson plans, developed with St Stithians College, are designed for learners with limited knowledge of conservation basics. Through this lesson plan, they will be introduced to the concept of ecosystems, the importance of conservation, and of course, our charming Bird of the Year, the Red-billed Oxpecker!

More lesson plans will be added in due course!

These lesson plans are free for you to download and use. Happy learning!