Some great images (not mine, but no credit wanted from the generous reader) with the Feral Cattle of SaiKung enjoying themselves with their little helpers.
These are Crested Mynahs on the animal above.
Animals like these two species can have different relationships.
the two main ones are
1. Commensalistic
Commensalism is a relationship between two organisms where one receives a benefit or benefits from the other and the other is not affected by it. In other words, one is benefited and the other is neither benefited nor harmed.
2. Symbiotic A symbiotic relationship is one in which organisms, people, or things exist together in a way that benefits them all.
Also called Mutalistic, which in biological terms means a symbiosis which is beneficial to both organisms involved.
Now then, these lovely birds are ... as you would know if you had followed my blogs on Egrets ..... Cattle Egrets, in their distinctive orange breeding plumage.
John Allcock (mr Bird Expert) also reminded us that Black Drongos are also commonly seen doing this in Hong Kong. In Africa, oxpeckers are very famous for doing this, and get most of their food from large animals. I think the main benefits to cattle in HK aren't against ticks, but against biting flies (horseflies are especially nasty in season). The birds also benefit from easier access to invertebrates that are disturbed by cattle even though they may not be harming the cattle (eg grasshoppers disturbed as cattle move through vegetation).