A red-billed oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorynchus) looks straight into the lens, sitting on the back of a zebra.
The bird can be recognised by its red bill and striking orange-red eyes with a gelee eye ring.
These two animals live in a symbiotic relationship: the red-beaked pecker eats parasites such as ticks and insects from the zebra's skin, providing both food for the bird and hygiene for the zebra.
The background is green and blurred, bringing out the bird and zebra sharply in the foreground.
Born in Gouda in 1957 and lived there until I was 50. Currently living in Rotterdam. Now retired and have all the time for my two hobbies, travelling and photography... Read more…