Status of oxpeckers in South Africa

The status of Red-billed Oxpeckers in South Africa is improving with encouraging expansions from protected areas to farm lands. This species breeds successfully in captivity so re-introduction programs have also been conducted into previously considered marginal areas such as the E Cape. Yellow-billed Oxpeckers were considered to be extinct as a breeding species in South Africa as long ago as 1910, after which only vagrants were occasionally seen. This was mainly as a result of the use of arsenic and organophosphate compounds in cattle dips. Re-colonization took place during the late 1970’s and although the present population is considered still to be small, it is slowly expanding. It is still however regarded as a Red Data species, listed as Vulnerable because of concerns of changes in dipping practices and fears for any increase in the use of arsenic based dips, which could result in the rapid decline in these species once again.