>Bucorvus leadbeateri (Southern Ground Hornbill)

Southern Ground Hornbill

Southern Ground Hornbill
At Lincoln Park Zoo, USA.
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Bucerotidae
Subfamily:	Bucorvinae
Genus:	Bucorvus
Species:	B. leadbeateri
Binomial name
Bucorvus leadbeateri (Vigors, 1825)
Synonyms
Bucorvus cafer (Vigors, 1825)

Strolling in Kruger Park, South Africa

The Southern Ground Hornbill or cafer(Bucorvus leadbeateri), is one of two species of ground hornbill and is the largest species of hornbill.

It is a large bird, at 90 to 129 cm (36 to 51 in) long. Females weigh 2.2 to 4.6 kg (4.8 to 10.1 lbs), while the larger males weigh 3.5 to 6.2 kg (7.6 to 13.6 lbs). Among standard measurements, the wing chord has been measured from 49.5 to 61.8 cm (19.5 to 24.3 in), the tail from 29 to 36 cm (11 to 14 in), the tarsus from 13 to 15.5 cm (5.1 to 6.1 in) and the culmen from 16.8 to 22.1 cm (6.6 to 8.7 in). It is characterized by black coloration and vivid red patches of bare skin on the face and throat (yellow in juvenile birds). The white tips of the wings (primary feathers) seen in flight are another diagnostic characteristic. The beak is black and straight and presents a casque, more developed in males. Female Southern Ground Hornbills are smaller and have violet-blue skin on their throats.

Upper body

Its habitat comprises savannahs, woodlands and grasslands. It can be found from northern Namibia and 
Angola to northern South Africa to Burundi and 
Kenya. The Southern Ground Hornbill is a vulnerable species, mainly confined to national reserves and national parks. They live in groups of 5 to 10 individuals including adults and juveniles. Often, neighbouring groups are engaged in aerial pursuits. They forage on the ground, where they feed on reptiles, frogs, snails, insects and mammals up to the size of hares. Juveniles are dependent on adults for 6 to 12 months. The Southern Ground Hornbill is a long-lived bird, with a maximum lifespan of 70 years recorded in captivity.

The other species of the genus Bucorvus is the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, B. abyssinicus.

>Bucorvus abyssinicus (Abyssinian Ground Hornbill)

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill
Male at San Diego Zoo
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Bucerotidae
Subfamily:	Bucorvinae
Genus:	Bucorvus
Species:	B. abyssinicus
Binomial name
Bucorvus abyssinicus (Boddaert, 1783)

The Abyssinian Ground Hornbill or Northern Ground Hornbill, Bucorvus abyssinicus, is one of two species of ground hornbill. The other is the Southern Ground Hornbill.

The Abyssinian Ground Hornbill is an African bird, found north of the equator. Groups of ground hornbills have territories of 2-100 square miles. They are diurnal

In captivity, they can live 35–40 years. Diet in the wild consists of a wide variety of small vertebrates and invertebrates, including tortoises, lizards, spiders, beetles, and caterpillars; also takes carrion, some fruits, seeds, and groundnuts.

Description

A pair at Fort Worth Zoo

The species has long eyelashes as seen on this female identified by a blue throat pouch.

The Abyssinian Ground Hornbill weighs about three kilograms, and has long bare legs for walking. The male has a red throat pouch and the female has a blue throat pouch. Modified feathers form long eyelashes, which protect their eyes from dust.

>>>Subfamily Bucorvinae >>Genus Bucorvus (Ground hornbill)

Ground hornbill

Ground hornbill
Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Bucerotidae
Subfamily:	Bucorvinae
Genus:	Bucorvus Lesson, 1830
Species
Bucorvus leadbeateri Bucorvus abyssinicus

The ground hornbills (Bucorvinae) are a subfamily of the hornbill family Bucerotidae, with a single genus Bucorvus and two extant species. It can eat snakes as well as lots of other thingss

The subfamily is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa - Abyssinian Ground Hornbill being found in a belt from Senegal east to Ethiopia, with Southern Ground Hornbill occurring in the south and east of the continent.

Ground hornbills are large, with adults around a metre tall. Both species are ground-dwelling, unlike other hornbills. They can be very long-lived.

Taxonomy

Some ornithologists consider the hornbills a distinct order Bucerotiformes and raise the Ground-hornbills to family level (Bucorvidae) on account of their distinctness. The genusBucorvus contains two extant species:

• Abyssinian Ground Hornbill Bucorvus abyssinicus (also known as Northern Ground Hornbill)
• Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri

A prehistoric ground hornbill, Bucorvus brailloni, has been described from fossil bones.

Gallery

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  Southern Ground Hornbill
 
• 

  Abyssinian Ground Hornbill

>Ceratogymna elata (Yellow-casqued Wattled Hornbill)

Yellow-casqued Wattled Hornbill

Yellow-casqued Wattled Hornbill
At Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Bucerotidae
Genus:	Ceratogymna
Species:	C. elata
Binomial name
Ceratogymna elata (Temminck, 1831)

The Yellow-casqued Wattled Hornbill (Ceratogymna elata), also known as the Yellow-casqued Hornbill, is found in the rainforest of coastal regions of West Africa, for example in Côte d'Ivoire.

The Yellow-casqued Wattled Hornbill is one of the largest birds of the West African forest, with adults weighing up to 2 kg. They live mainly in the forest canopy, feeding on the ground rarely. They live in small family groups containing at least one adult male and female, with one or two immature birds, though they sometimes gather in larger flocks to exploit a major food supply such as an ant or termite nest.

The birds are occasionally preyed upon by Crowned Hawk-eagles, and they respond to the presence of an eagle (sometimes indicated by its characteristic shriek) by mobbing, i.e. approaching it and emitting calls. Since the eagles depend on surprise to make a catch, this frequently causes them to leave the area. Recent research (Rainey et al., 2004) has shown that the birds respond in the same way to the alarm calls that Diana Monkeys, which live in the same areas, emit if they notice an eagle, and furthermore that they are able to distinguish the calls made by the monkeys to the presence of eagles from those they make in the presence of leopards, which prey on the monkeys but not on the hornbills.

Biologist Olivia Judson has remarked that "Yellow-casqued hornbills remind me of aging rock stars: their head feathers have that kind of wild look."

>Ceratogymna atrata (Black-casqued Wattled Hornbill)

Black-casqued Wattled Hornbill

Black-casqued Wattled Hornbill
A pair at the Jardin d'Oiseaux Tropicaux, France (female on left and male on right)
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Bucerotidae
Genus:	Ceratogymna
Species:	C. atrata
Binomial name
Ceratogymna atrata (Temminck, 1835)

The Black-casqued Wattled Hornbill or Black-casqued Hornbill(Ceratogymna atrata) is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo,Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon,Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.

>>Genus Ceratogymna

Ceratogymna

Ceratogymna
Ceratogymna atrata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Bucerotidae
Genus:	Ceratogymna Bonaparte, 1854
Species
2, see text.

Ceratogymna is a genus of large, primarily frugivorous hornbills (family Bucerotidae) found in the humid forests of Central and West Africa. They are sexually dimorphic, with males being overall black, while females have brown heads and a smaller casque. Unlike the members of the genus Bycanistes, the two species in the genus Ceratogymna have extensive, primarily blue, bare facial skin and dewlap, and the only white in their plumage is in the tail (although the Yellow-casqued Wattled Hornbill also has slight whitish speckling on the neck).

Species

• Black-casqued Wattled Hornbill (Ceratogymna atrata).
• Yellow-casqued Wattled Hornbill (Ceratogymna elata).

The members of the genus Bycanistes have been included in this genus, but today most authorities consider the two separate.

>Bycanistes brevis (Silvery-cheeked Hornbill)

Silvery-cheeked Hornbill

Silvery-cheeked Hornbill
Male (facing away) and female (looking at the photographer) at Lagos Zoo, Portugal
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Bucerotidae
Genus:	Bycanistes
Species:	B. brevis
Binomial name
Bycanistes brevis (Friedmann, 1929)
Synonyms
Ceratogymna brevis

The Silvery-cheeked Hornbill (Bycanistes brevis) is a large bird at 75 to 80 centimetres (30 to 31 in) in length with a very large creamy casque on the beak. The female has a smaller casque and reddish skin around the eyes. The head is silver-grey and the rest of the plumage is iridescent black, except for the white rump, lower back, thighs, vent and tip of the outer tail-feathers. Silvery-cheeked Hornbills are residents of the tall evergreen forests of East Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa. In Zimbabwe it is threatened by habitat destruction and its presence in South Africa is marginal, but it remains locally fairly common, especially in the northern and central parts of its range. Usually they live in pairs and sometimes roost in flocks of hundreds of individuals. This hornbill feeds on fruits, insects, small birds, rodents, small reptiles and centipedes. They breed in spring (September and October; at least in part of its range) and lay clutches of 1 to 3 white eggs, incubated for 40 days. The young remain with both parents for circa 80 days.

Gallery

• 

  Male in profile
 
• 

  Male
 
• 

  Male

>Bycanistes subcylindricus (Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill)

Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill

Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Bucerotidae
Genus:	Bycanistes
Species:	B. subcylindricus
Binomial name
Bycanistes subcylindricus (Sclater, 1870)

The Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, Bycanistes subcylindricus, also known as Grey-cheeked Hornbill, is a large, approximately 70 cm long, black and white hornbill. It has an over-sized blackish bill with large casque on top. The female is slightly smaller than the male, and has a significantly smaller casque.

The Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill is found in wooded habitats in central and western Africa, ranging from western Kenya to Côte d'Ivoire with an isolated population in north Angola. A monogamous species, pairs nest in suitable tree cavities. The female usually lays up to two eggs. The diet consists mainly of figs, fruits, insects and small animals found in the trees.

Widespread and still locally common, the Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Gallery

• 
 
• 

  
  

>Bycanistes albotibialis (White-thighed Hornbill)

White-thighed Hornbill

 

White-thighed Hornbill
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Bucerotidae
Genus:	Bycanistes
Species:	B. albotibialis
Binomial name
Bycanistes albotibialis (Cabanis & Reichenow, 1877)
Synonyms
Bycanistes cylindricus albotibialis

The White-thighed Hornbill (Bycanistes albotibialis) is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family. It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Sudan, and Uganda. It is sometimes considered to be a sunspecies of the Brown-cheeked Hornbill.

>Bycanistes cylindricus (Brown-cheeked Hornbill)

Brown-cheeked Hornbill

Brown-cheeked Hornbill
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Bucerotidae
Genus:	Bycanistes
Species:	B. cylindricus
Binomial name
Bycanistes cylindricus (Temminck, 1824)
Synonyms
Ceratogymna cylindricus (Temminck, 1824)

The Brown-cheeked Hornbill (Bycanistes cylindricus) is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, plantations , and heavily degraded former forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.

>Bycanistes bucinator (Trumpeter Hornbill)

Trumpeter Hornbill

Trumpeter Hornbill
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Bucerotidae
Subfamily:	Bucerotinae
Genus:	Bycanistes
Species:	B. bucinator
Binomial name
Bycanistes bucinator (Temminck, 1824)
Synonyms
Ceratogymna bucinator

The Trumpeter Hornbill, Bycanistes bucinator, is a medium-sized hornbill, with length between 58 and 65 cm (23 and 26 in), characterized by a large grey casque on the bill, smaller in females. The eyes are brown or red, with pink surrounding skin. Body mass is reported between 0.45 and 1 kg (0.99 and 2.2 lb).They are similar to Silvery-cheeked Hornbill. Distinguishing features include an all-black back, white belly and white underwing coverts (in flight, wings present white tips), and red facial skin.

The Trumpeter Hornbill is a gregarious bird, usually living in groups of 2 to 5 individuals, although sometimes as many as 50. This hornbill is a locally common resident of the tropical evergreen forests of Burundi, Mozambique, Botswana, Congo, Kenya, the Caprivi strip of Namibia and eastern South Africa, where it feeds on fruits and large insects. Like other hornbills, the females incubate 4 to 5 white eggs, while sealed in the nest compartment.

Aviculture

When and fed in captivity they are tame loving birds that can be taught a variety of tricks, and enjoy companionship with their owner. They require large spacious cages to move about in because of their active nature. Care needs to be taken in their high fruit diet because of their susceptibility to excessive iron storage, which is similar to the excessive iron storage seen in the disease hemochromatosis in humans. They are very intelligent and have a life expectancy of up to 20 years.

Widespread throughout its large range, the Trumpeter Hornbill is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Gallery

• 

  A female Trumpeter Hornbill.
 
• 

  A male Trumpeter Hornbill feeding the female who is sealed in a nest.
• 

  A male Trumpeter Hornbill.
 
• 

  A Trumpeter Hornbill.

>Bycanistes fistulator (Piping Hornbill)

Piping Hornbill

Piping Hornbill
At Birds of Eden aviary, South Africa
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Coraciiformes
Family:	Bucerotidae
Genus:	Bycanistes
Species:	B. fistulator
Binomial name
Bycanistes fistulator (Cassin, 1852)

At Guinate Tropical Park, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain

The Piping Hornbill (Bycanistes fistulator) is a hornbill in the Bucerotidae family. This black-and-white species is found in humid forest and second growth in Central and West Africa, ranging from Senegal east to Uganda and south to Angola. At about 50 centimetres (20 in) in length, it is the smallest member of the genus Bycanistes.