The Egyptian
plover, also known as the
spur-winged plover, is the tooth-cleaner for the
crocodile. This
bird obtains its
food by extracting
parasites living inside the crocodile's
mouth. It is in no danger from the crocodile which will open its mouth to allow the bird to enter and peck out the scraps of food from between its
teeth and to remove
leeches from the crocodile's
tongue.
Apart from acting as a highly-efficient
toothbrush, the Egyptian plover is also a
security alarm. When any danger threatens, the bird will take sudden flight, its hurried escape thereby giving the
alarm. Sometimes, the crocodile may not heed this warning. But if the bird considers the danger to be great, it will
peck continually at the crocodile's
head until it moves away to
safety.