Yellowbilled oxpeckers Buphagus africanus and redbilled oxpeckers B. erythrorhynchus occur sympatrically in Hwange National Park. Two separate areas of the park were surveyed for oxpeckers and their host preferences. Yellowbilled oxpeckers preferred buffalo Syncerus caffer, black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis and white rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum, while redbilled oxpeckers preferred sable Hippotragusniger, giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis and kudu Tragelaphus strepsiceros. Differences in oxpecker numbers, host choice and niche expansion in the absence of certain hosts are discussed.