Elk are to some birds as a burrito truck is to college kids after last call at the bars. In other words, elk are a roving food source for birds. Throughout much of the year, elk are covered with parasites, such as ticks. Birds comb through their fur picking off ticks one-by-one, a win-win for everything but the bloodsuckers. Birds will also scavenge elk scat for any undigested seeds. The only time elk seem truly annoyed with their avian hitch-hikers is when the birds fly in front of their face and obstruct their vision or peck at their eyes. A quick shake of the head and the birds are back to plucking parasites.
Elk NetworkWhy do some birds flock to elk?
Conservation | May 10, 2018

Latest Content
Team Effort Frees Pennsylvania Elk Tangled in Wire
Below is a Facebook post from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. An elk entangled in a telephone wire was freed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission on [...]
Montana Wildlife Habitat Gets Help from RMEF, Others
Below is a news release from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Prescribed burns are planned for the Blackfoot-Clearwater and Nevada Lake Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) [...]
Hunter Kills Grizzly in Montana
Below is a news release from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. A hunter killed a grizzly bear in an encounter in Beattie Gulch, an area [...]