Oxpeckers, birds that ride on the backs of grazing mammals, have long been thought to provide benefits to African mammal hosts because they remove and feed on ticks (parasites that embed themselves in the skin of the grazers).However, an experimental study in 2000 suggested that the oxpeckers actually drink the blood from the mammals, with the result that the wounds heal less quickly than if the tick were simply removed.This suggests that oxpeckers may in fact be

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The study suggests that oxpeckers are benefiting from their relationship with mammals at the expense of the mammals themselves, indicating a parasitic relationship.

Oxpeckers, Birds That Ride on the Backs of Grazing Mammals