Oxpecker inhabits open savannas, grassy plains and areas with scattered shrubs. These animals were nearly extinct in the wild at the beginning of the 20th century due to excessive hunt of buffalos and rhinos (which are their main hosts) and arsenic poisoning. After several years of breeding in captivity, oxpeckers were returned to the wild.Oxpeckers feed on ticks, flies, lice and worms that can be extracted from the fur of domestic cattle, buffalos, rhinos, giraffes and large antelopes. They produce either scissoring (red-billed) or pecking motion (yellow-billed) to collect the food from the fur.Despite removing ticks and other pests from the fur, oxpeckers are known as parasites because the feed on the blood of their hosts also. When oxpeckers suck blood, they produce wounds that will be infected with new parasites. Those wounds heal slowly.Oxpeckers also eat ear wax. Scientists believe that oxpeckers use bacteria from the ear wax to facilitate digestion.Oxpeckers can be beneficial for their hosts because they produce alarm calls when they identify predators.