Oxpeckers (Buphagus sp.) are two bird species closely associated to large mammals, including giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis). We tested whether oxpeckers distributed themselves at random across individuals or aggregated on individual giraffes, and whether birds select the host's body parts with the expected greatest amount of ticks. By counting oxpeckers on giraffe's body from photographs, we quantified the distribution of birds per hosts and over predefined zones on the giraffe body. Oxpeckers displayed a strong aggregation behaviour with few hosts carrying many birds while many carried a limited number or no bird, a pattern that was most exaggerated for males. Oxpeckers were disproportionately found on the mane and back, where the density of ticks is presumably the highest. This high aggregation level of birds is typical of parasitic species and could suggest that oxpecker distribution may mirror the distribution of ticks, their primary food resource, on giraffes. Abundance of ticks appears as a major driver of the oxpecker foraging behaviour, and the oxpecker–large herbivores system proves to be highly relevant for the study of host–parasite dynamics.

中文翻译：

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津巴布韦万基国家公园长颈鹿上的啄木鸟的分布和密度

Oxpeckers（Buphagus sp。）是与大型哺乳动物（包括长颈鹿）（Giraffa camelopardalis）密切相关的两种鸟类）。我们测试了啄木鸟是否在各个个体之间随机分布或聚集在长颈鹿身上，以及鸟类是否选择了预期的the最大的宿主身体部位。通过从照片中计数长颈鹿身上的牛啄木鸟，我们量化了每只宿主以及长颈鹿身上预定区域上鸟类的分布。Oxpeckers表现出很强的聚集行为，很少有宿主携带许多鸟，而许多宿主只携带有限的鸟或没有鸟，这种模式对雄性来说最夸大。在鬃毛和背部不成比例地发现了啄木鸟，ers的密度据推测是最高的。鸟类的高聚集水平是寄生物种的典型特征，可能表明oxpecker的分布可能反映了tick的分布，,是其主要食物资源 在长颈鹿上。tick的大量出现是OXPecker觅食行为的主要驱动力，并且OXPecker-大型草食动物系统被证明与宿主寄生虫动力学研究高度相关。