Yellow-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus africanus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Yellow-billed Oxpecker

Buphagus africanus Linnaeus, 1766

58 gWeight

The yellow-billed oxpecker (Buphagus africanus) is a passerine bird in the family Buphagidae.

Busiest months: July–September and November · Most records: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: July–September and November · Most records: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania

Yellow-billed Oxpecker has been recorded at 268 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 29 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Lake Mburo NPUganda712 records
  2. Nairobi NPKenya684 records
  3. Maasai Mara NR – Mara TriangleKenya576 records
More places
  1. Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Ngorongoro CraterTanzania524 records
  2. Maasai Mara NRKenya474 records
  3. Tarangire NPTanzania428 records
  4. Serengeti NPTanzania416 records
  5. Queen Elizabeth II NP – Kazinga Channel Boat TripUganda347 records
  6. Murchison Falls NP – North sideUganda281 records
  7. Queen Elizabeth II NPUganda263 records

Countries and regions with the most records

KenyaUgandaTanzaniaBotswanaSouth AfricaNamibiaGambiaZambia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The yellow-billed oxpecker (Buphagus africanus) is a passerine bird in the family Buphagidae. It was previously placed in the starling and myna family, Sturnidae.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Yellow-billed Oxpecker?

The Yellow-billed Oxpecker weighs around 58 g.

Where does the Yellow-billed Oxpecker live?

Its breeding range: Africa: widespread. It is most often recorded in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

When is the best time to see the Yellow-billed Oxpecker?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July, August, September and November (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Yellow-billed Oxpecker endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Yellow-billed Oxpecker as Least Concern.

What does the Yellow-billed Oxpecker eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Yellow-billed Oxpecker in?

It belongs to the family Oxpeckers (Buphagidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Weight
58 g
Habitat
Woodland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Partial migrant
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
118 mm
Tail
95 mm
Bill
18 mm
Tarsus
22 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: widespread

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Oxpeckers Buphagidae
Genus
Buphagus

Other birds in the genus Buphagus

Red-billed OxpeckerRed-billed OxpeckerBuphagus erythroryncha
Yellow-billed Oxpecker

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗

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