The Elephant and the Piapiac

The association of the Piapiac (Ptilostomus after) with African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana) is in fact well known.

However, unlike Oxpeckers which don’t ride the elephants because their hides are too thick to host ticks, Piapiacs are strictly hunting from the handy perch of the elephant’s back, aided by the fact that the elephant moving through the grass stirs up a lot of insects. An opportunistic relationship rather than the symbiotic relationship Oxpeckers have with Giraffes for example.

This herd of Elephants were crossing our path in front of us, across a track, swiftly followed by a small flock of Piapiacs.