Southern Ground Hornbill

Bucorvus leadbeateri

Other Names

  Ground Hornbill, African Ground Hornbill   Bucorve du Sud, Calao terrestre, Calao terrestre du sud   Kaffernhornrabe   Cálao Terrestre Sureño   sydlig marknäshornsfågel   Zuidelijke Hoornraaf   Bucorvo cafro

World: Africa, mostly absent from the dry SW of the continent but otherwise widely distributed S of the Congo basin.

Kenya: Mostly found to the West and South of the country in open habitats.

One of 2 species of Ground Hornbills found in Kenya (the other being the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill). These are the largest of the Hornbills and are primarily terrestrial. They travel in groups which normally consist of the dominant male and his mate along with a number of, usually, related birds. These act as helpers and assist in feeding the young. The birds feed on insects and small reptiles and mammals. They are quite fascinating to watch, having a very stately, deliberate gait and rather superior "expression". When gathering food to take back to their nest they will carry a beak full of insects around which they will carefully put to one side if they spot another tasty morsel (perhaps a large spider or grasshopper). They will pick up the new delicacy, then carefully rearrange all the food items on the ground before picking them back up and stalking away.