The yellow-billed buffalo starling is an African bird that lives on the backs of large mammals and feeds on ticks and other parasites.
The yellow-billed buffalo starling is distinguished by its close connection with large mammals, which it cleans from parasites. It helps maintain the health of buffaloes, rhinos, and zebras in African savannas.
Low precipitation in winter
meadows, prairies, forb glades on land
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
pecking
Worker
Elders
Bro
birth time
Taxons
Hot and almost no precipitation
carnivore
if born as {name}
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
parasitism
g
age
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
birth date
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Claws color
Close
Egg shell color
was
days
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
summer from pleasant to very hot
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
beak
adult
Maturity
primary food sources
Potential Habitat
About health
lots of grass, few trees, rains are rare
pecks parasites from the host's body while perched on its back
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
carrion
live ticks and mites
Repro interval
results
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
live flies, horseflies, dipterans
Colors
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
scavenging, eat already dead animals
Gremllins
mo
hot, rains in summer, little precipitation in winter
rains are very rare, almost a desert
Always hot
No results found
little precipitation in winter, more in summer
Trophic type
Filters
Eyes color
On the map
summer very hot, dry, lots of grass
Warm or hot summer
all life stages
Female ♀
Down feathers color
Upcoming birthdays
world of Afrotropics
Breeding structure built or used for laying eggs and raising offspring.
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
Beak count
birth year
Maturity
steppe
insect larvae and caterpillars
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
Age (from birth to death)
sq mm
yr
Hot, little precipitation in winter
Beak color
Wanderers
How similar?
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Male ♂
until the celebration
baby / chick
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
What if eaten?
Very dry
Neither
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
flies
nest
Lifespan average
What do they eat?
insect larvae
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
Plumage color
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
world of Afrotropics
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
Duration
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
hot, uneven rains, lots of grass and trees
This is me
from 11 to 16 grams, 1.5 – 12 centimeters
Steppe
Gamers
Pets
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
Repeatedly strikes or probes substrate with beak to obtain food.
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Hot steppe
{name} jubilee
Asexual
swap
Claws count
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
turns
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Rascals
Where do they take shelter?
terrestrial grassland and steppe
terrestrial herbaceous
celebrated their {n} birthday
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
open grassy spaces — steppes, savannas, prairies
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
very hot all year round, frequent rains, but sometimes dry
Litter size
ticks and mites
Daddies
Tropical savanna
Lifespan maximum
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
very hot and almost no precipitation
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Strawberry
Where are they found?
embryo
Hard, projecting mouthpart used to probe, pluck, or crack food.
Length
kg
Observations
◉{N} more on tap