The Oxpecker Poem by Kim Barney
The Oxpecker
Have you ever seen an oxpecker?
I asked my cousin Joe.
Well, I must have seen a hundred,
He answered kind of slow.
Why would you ask a thing like that?
You know here on the farm
We see lots of creatures every day,
That's what gives it its charm.
I doubt you've ever seen one,
I really, really do.
You see, they live in Africa,
And it's one word, not two.
The oxpeckers are two species of bird which make up the family Buphagidae. Some ornithologists regard them as a subfamily Buphaginae within the starling family, Sturnidae, but they appear to be quite distinct. Oxpeckers are endemic to the savanna of Sub-Saharan Africa. Both the English and scientific names arise from their habit of perching on large mammals (both wild and domesticated) such as cattle, zebras, impalas, hippopotamuses, or rhinoceroses, and eating ticks, small insects, botfly larvae, and other parasites.
In addition to the large mammals listed above, they will even be found on warthogs and gazelles.
Written 20 October 2016
Wow - that's interesting. I suppose regarding horses it's also about accidents. But, no surprises, the biggest predator on humans is... the human.
Surprisingly, I think it's hippos that kill the most people. You would never say so if you watched them wallowing. They're so gentle with their kids, and often rescue other animals from crocodiles.
I did a Google search 'What animal kills the most humans? ' and this is what it gave me: (The top 25 in reverse order) 25. wolves 24. dingoes 23. bulls 22. spiders (black widow and brown recluse) 21. bears 20. sharks 19. leopards 18. horses 17. cows 16. ants 15. bees (I wonder if this includes wasps and hornets, because they were not mentioned elsewhere) 14. African lion 13. jellyfish 12. tigers 11. deer (mostly [but not all] from collisions with cars) 10. domestic dogs (about 100 per year, including 30 in the U.S.) 9. cape buffalo (about 200 per year) 8. elephants (about 500) 7. crocodiles (1,000 to 2,500) 6. hippos (about 2,900) 5. scorpions (1,000 to 5,000) 4. snakes (50,000) 3. tsetse fly (400,000) 2. mosquito (660,000 to 1,000,000) 1. humans (no number was given, but it must be over a million) So, basically, you were right: of the LARGER animals, hippos do kill the most people.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/15/2024 3:33:48 AM # 1.0.0.1119
Well done Kim! Educational and interesting. Give us more.