Oxpeckers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of bird known for perching on large mammals to eat parasites from their skin
2. These birds engage in symbiotic relationships by removing ticks and other pests from the bodies of larger animals
3. Characterized by their distinctive appearance, these creatures help maintain the health of their host mammals by feeding on unwanted insects

Etymology: The plural of "oxpecker" is simply "oxpeckers," so the story belongs to the singular: the bird's name joins "ox," the large hoofed mammal, with "pecker," a word meaning a bird that pecks. Oxpeckers, which are African birds in the starling family, spend much of their time perched on the backs of cattle, rhinoceroses, and other large animals, picking off ticks and flies from their hosts' skin and hides. The name is descriptive rather than poetic. "Pecker" was an English word for a beak or a bird that pecks at things, and the ox-pecker was named for the animal it most visibly works on. Because the birds are so closely tied to their hosts, the name tells you almost everything about their habits in two syllables.