The red-billed hornbills are a group of

hornbill Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandibl ...

s found in the

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground ...

s and

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

s of

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

. They are now usually

split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

into five species, the

northern red-billed hornbill The northern red-billed hornbill (''Tockus erythrorhynchus'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found from southern Mauritania through Somalia and northeast Tanzania. There are five species of red-billed hornbills recogn ...

(''Tockus erythrorhynchus''),

western red-billed hornbill The western red-billed hornbill (''Tockus kempi'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found from Senegal and Gambia to southern Mauritania and western Mali. There are five species of red-billed hornbills generally recog ...

(''T. kempi''),

Tanzanian red-billed hornbill The Tanzanian red-billed hornbill (''Tockus ruahae'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in central Tanzania. All five red-billed hornbills were formerly considered conspecific. Description Tanzanian red-billed ho ...

(''T. ruahae''), southern red-billed hornbill (''T. rufirostris'') and

Damara red-billed hornbill The Damara red-billed hornbill (''Tockus damarensis'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in southwest Angola and northern Namibia. All five red-billed hornbills were formerly considered conspecific. Description ...

(''T. damarensis''), but some authorities consider the latter four all

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all specie ...

of ''Tockus erythrorhynchus''.

Description

This group of conspicuous birds have mainly whitish underparts and head, grey upperparts, long tails, and a long curved red bill which lacks a casque. The sexes are similar, but the female has a smaller bill. They are generally large, at long, but the entire group is considered one of the smaller hornbills.

Behaviour

Breeding

During incubation, the female lays three to six white eggs in a tree hole that has been converted to a nest, which is blocked off with a plaster of mud, droppings and fruit pulp, with her inside, where she remains for a time after the eggs are hatched. The nest is built by both parents. Once the mother is inside the nest, there is only one narrow aperture, just big enough for the male to transfer food gathered from the outside habitat, to the mother and the chicks. When the chicks and the female are too big for the nest, the mother breaks out and rebuilds the wall, leaving the chicks inside for their continued protection from predators. Then both parents continued to feed the chicks.

Nesting

The female red-billed hornbill protects her young against intruders by building a wall across the opening of her nest. She then seals herself in and brings up her chicks in the enclosed space.

Feeding

They are

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

, taking and eating

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pa ...

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...

s and even small

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

s. They feed mainly on the ground and will form flocks outside the breeding season.

Gallery

Bird of Botswana.jpg, The southern species ''T. rufirostris'' is endemic to

southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...

Hornbill, Ethiopia (47971177468), crop.jpg, The

has reddish ocular skin and dark eyes. Red-billed hornbill, Ruaha National Park (3) (28404613034), crop.jpg, '' T. ruahae'' is endemic to

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

LophocerosDamarensisKeulemans.jpg, up'' T. damarensis'', illustration by Keulemans, 1892 Westlicher Rotschnabeltoko (Tockus kempi).jpg, left, '' T. kempi'' of

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali ...

is the only species with both dark eyes and black ocular skin

References

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern * ''Birds of The Gambia'' by Barlow, Wacher and Disley,

External links

Red-billed Hornbill videos, photos & sounds
on the Internet Bird Collection * Red-billed hornbill
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15708861 red-billed hornbill Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa Bird common names Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN