11 July 2008

Tick-picking birds


Presumably oxpeckers. From Wiki I learn that they pluck the ticks not to get the insect protein, but to get the blood protein from the mammal - and have therefore been known to "feed on it directly, pecking at the mammal's wounds to keep them open." Bummer. Now I'm disillusioned.

1 comment:

  1. Still, the animal's coat looks fairly good, not too shabby; and he or she doesn't look particularly upset about the attention ... Looks quite coy and come-hitherish, really ...

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...