Rocky Mountain National Park, Moraine Park Cow Elk

This cow elk is receiving a fur coat cleaning from this magpie bird. The bird landed on the elk’s rump and worked towards the elk’s head searching through her fur for ticks and other parasites. When the bird arrived at the elk’s ears the elk tilted her head and moved her ears to allow the bird easy access. The bird receives lunch and the elk gets a cleaning, so both species benefit from this activity. I was lucky to spot this behavior and capture this series of images.