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Oxpeckers Help Rhinos Evade Humans.

Roan D Plotz1, Wayne L Linklater2

  • 1Applied Ecology and Environmental Change Research Group, Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, 3011, Australia; Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6021, New Zealand; Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, 6001, South Africa.

Current Biology : CB
|April 11, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Red-billed oxpeckers act as sentinels for black rhinos, significantly improving their ability to detect human approaches. This study highlights the importance of eavesdropping for solitary species and suggests oxpecker reintroduction for rhino conservation.

Keywords:
Buphagus erythrorynchusDiceros bicornis minorHomo sapiensalarm callanti-predator behaviorapproach trialsheterospecific eavesdroppingindigenous knowledgemutualismsentinels

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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Ecology
  • Interspecies Communication
  • Conservation Biology

Background:

  • Evolutionary theory posits that solitary species benefit most from eavesdropping on heterospecific alarm calls.
  • Empirical evidence for solitary species eavesdropping on alarm calls is limited.
  • Red-billed oxpeckers (Buphagus erythrorynchus), known as "rhinos' guards," associate with black rhinos (Diceros bicornis).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of red-billed oxpeckers as sentinels for black rhinos.
  • To quantify the impact of oxpecker alarm calls on rhino detection of human approach.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted 86 experimental approaches to 11 black rhinos over 27 months in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa.
  • Varied the number of resident oxpeckers present during approaches.
  • Utilized radio telemetry to locate rhinos.

Main Results:

  • Oxpeckers facilitated rhino evasion of detection in 40-50% of encounters.
  • Oxpecker alarm calls increased rhino detection rates from 23% to 100% and detection distance from 27m to 61m.
  • Each additional oxpecker increased rhino detection distance by 9m; alerted rhinos faced downwind, indicating threat proximity.

Conclusions:

  • Oxpeckers effectively serve as anti-human sentinels for black rhinos, confirming the importance of depredation in the evolution of eavesdropping.
  • Rhino-oxpecker interactions demonstrate a crucial interspecies relationship for conservation.
  • Reintroduction of oxpeckers to rhino populations is recommended to reinstate their sentinel role.