Photo of the Day: Yellow-billed Oxpeckers

Claudio Bacinello’s safari yields a well-timed photo.  

On a trip to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, most of the safari-goers were absorbed by the sight of a group of tall, spotted giraffes. Claudio Bacinello, on the other hand, knew the birds were the main attraction. A cluster of Yellow-billed Oxpeckers was perched on the back of one of the long-necked savannah dwellers, casually feeding on insects. Bacinello busied himself taking photos of the birds when, suddenly, the perfect shot presented itself.

"For just a second, they all looked in the same direction," he says. "It was only when I looked at the photo later that I realized one of the birds was a juvenile that hadn't developed the distinctive yellow bill markings yet."