Southern Ground Hornbill
Place to admire: Austria
Scientific name: Bucorvus leadbeateri
IUCN-status: Near threatened
General Information
The Southern Ground Hornbill and the Northern Ground Hornbill make up the largest living species within the family of hornbills.
Habitat
The Southern Ground Hornbill lives in southern Kenya and Burundi, as far south as Angola. It is found in northern Namibia, northern and eastern Botswana. In addition, it occurs in northeastern and eastern South Africa.
The Southern Ground Hornbill’s natural habitat consists of forests and savannas. It also occurs on grasslands adjacent to parts of forests, up to an altitude of 3,000 meters.
Appearance
The Southern Ground Hornbill has a size between 90 and 100 cm. Males weigh 3459 to 6180 grams. Females, on the other hand, weigh between 2230 and 4580 grams.
This bird species colors all black with a white print. A male has bare facial skin, but the inflated throat colors bright red. A female can be recognized by the blue spot seen on the bright red throat.
The shade of a juvenile is browner than an adult. It has light gray-brown facial skin. The sides of the bill also turn gray. After about 4 to 6 years, a juvenile matures into an adult.
Diet
Many hornbills eat fruit and live in trees. BUT this does not mean that this is the only way they live. For example, the Southern Ground Hornbill is adapted to live on the ground, and it mainly eats meat.