19th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Giraffe and Oxpeckers

Oxpeckers love to sit on the backs of big mammals and eat ticks and larvae they find buried there. It's an amazing symbiotic relationship. That said, too many birds can become an annoyance and eventually this beautiful giraffe was going to shake them off. It's really beautiful the dance each bird does as it reacts.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2019
Date Uploaded: 11.2021
Photo Location: Zambia
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Copyright: © Shaadi Faris