Its range overlaps that of the less widespread yellow-billed oxpecker. One of these was the yellow-billed oxpecker. The yellow-billed oxpecker eats insects and ticks. Juvenile oxpecker is darker brown than its parents. The preferred habitat is open country, and the red-billed oxpecker eats insects. The yellow-billed oxpecker ("Buphagus africanus") is a passerine bird in the family Buphagidae. The red-billed oxpecker is a native of the savanna of sub-Saharan Africa. Oxpecker/mammal interactions are the subject of some debate and ongoing research. The red-billed oxpecker nests in tree holes lined with hair plucked from livestock.