7 Birds That Eat Ticks (with Pictures)

In this article, we will tell you about seven kinds of birds that love to eat ticks and how they do it. Birds are natural tick-eaters that help control the population of these blood-sucking parasites. Ticks can carry diseases that affect humans and animals, and they like to hide in places with lots of plants, such as woods, fields, and bushes. Ticks are hard to kill with chemicals because they can resist many pesticides and live for a long time without food. But birds have a different way of dealing with ticks: they eat them. Birds can find ticks on themselves, on other animals, or on plants. By doing this, birds lower the chance of getting sick from ticks and also help the environment by getting rid of pests.

1. Duck

Ducks are waterfowl that belong to the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and swans. Ducks feed on aquatic plants, seeds, insects, and other invertebrates, including ticks. Some ducks, such as the mallard, wood duck, and teal, are classified as dabbling ducks. These ducks feed by dipping their bills into shallow water and filtering out their food. Dabbling ducks may consume up to 50 percent of their body weight in invertebrates each day, which means they can eat a lot of ticks.

2. Guineafowl

Guineafowl are gallinaceous birds that are native to Africa but have been introduced to other parts of the world, such as the United States. Guineafowl are related to chickens and turkeys, but have distinctive features such as a helmet-like crest, a bare face and neck, and spotted feathers. Guineafowl are omnivorous and will eat plants, seeds, fruits, insects, worms, snails, and small animals. They are especially fond of ticks and will hunt for them in tall grasses and vegetation. Guineafowl can eat up to 5,400 ticks per year, making them one of the most effective tick predators.

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3. Woodpecker birds that eat ticks

Woodpeckers are birds that belong to the family Picidae, which also includes sapsuckers and flickers. Woodpeckers are known for their ability to peck holes in wood with their strong bills and use their long tongues to extract insects and larvae from the holes. Woodpeckers feed on a variety of insects, such as ants, beetles, caterpillars, spiders, and ticks. Woodpeckers can eat ticks that are hiding under the bark of trees or on the ground. Woodpeckers also help control other pests that may carry ticks, such as rodents.

4. Oxpecker

Oxpeckers are birds that belong to the family Buphagidae, which consists of two species: the red-billed oxpecker and the yellow-billed oxpecker. Oxpeckers are native to Africa and are often seen perching on the backs of large mammals, such as cattle, buffalo, rhino, giraffe, and zebra. Oxpeckers feed mainly on ticks and other parasites that infest their hosts’ skin and fur. Oxpeckers can eat up to 100 ticks per day, as well as remove any tick eggs or larvae that they find. Oxpeckers also alert their hosts to any danger by making loud noises.

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5. Quail Bird

Quail are small game birds that belong to the order Galliformes, which also includes pheasants, grouse, partridges, and chickens. Quail feeds on plants, seeds, berries, insects, worms, and other small animals. Quail is one of the few birds that can eat ticks because they hunt for bugs in tall vegetation and need to stick their head through a lot of leaves or grass. Quail can eat up to 60 percent of ticks that try to feed on them or their flock per day.

Related: Blackbirds (Icteridae)

6. Chicken

Chickens are domesticated birds that belong to the order Galliformes. Chickens are raised for their eggs and meat all over the world. Chickens are omnivorous and will eat plants, grains, insects, worms, snails, slugs, and small animals. Chickens also eat ticks that they find on their own bodies or in their environment. Chickens can remove up to 80 percent of ticks from an infested area within two weeks. Chickens not only provide tick control but also produce eggs, meat, and fertilizer.

7. Turkey

Turkeys are large game birds that belong to the order Galliformes. Turkeys are native to North America but have been domesticated and introduced to other continents. Turkeys feed on plants, seeds, nuts, fruits, insects, worms, and small animals. Turkeys are avid tick eaters and will consume any ticks that they encounter on their own bodies, their hosts, or the vegetation. Turkeys can eat up to 500 ticks per day, which can significantly reduce the tick population in an area.

Final Thoughts of 7 Birds That Love To Eat Ticks

Ticks are a nuisance and a health hazard for humans and animals. They can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and babesiosis. Chemical methods of tick control are often ineffective or harmful to the environment. Therefore, many people are looking for natural ways to control ticks. One of the best natural tick control methods is using birds that eat ticks. Birds that eat ticks help reduce the risk of tick-borne diseases and provide a natural pest control service. Some of the birds that eat ticks are ducks, guineafowl, woodpeckers, oxpeckers, quail, chickens, and turkeys. These birds feed on ticks by picking them off their own bodies, their hosts, or the vegetation. By eating ticks, these birds help keep the tick population in check and protect themselves and their hosts from tick bites.