How long does a Southern Ground Hornbill Live?

A Southern ground hornbill can live up to 50 or even 60 years.

 

When do juveniles facial skin turn red?

A juvenile has beige facial skin up to about two years old. The skin then becomes mottled with red and blue spots. The facial skin will be entirely coloured at about four years old.

 

Where do Ground hornbills nest?

Southern ground hornbills nest in large natural cavities in huge trees. There has also been recordings of them nesting in cliff faces especially in KwaZulu Natal.

 

What do Ground Hornbills eat?

They are carnivorous birds. They will eat grasshoppers, worms, frogs, lizards, snakes and even tortoises. Ground Hornbills do not drink water, but rather get moisture from the food they eat.

 

Can Ground hornbills fly?

Yes, they are strong flyers but are seldom seen as they fly low, and quite noisily, through the trees. They do not soar like other large birds.

 

Where do ground hornbills occur?

Southern ground hornbills  occur throughout the

African savannas south  of the Equator, in a

continuous swathe  from the East coast of

South Africa through  Zimbabwe, and across

to Botswana,  Zambia and  Tanzania.

 

What is the evolutionary history of ground hornbills?

The earliest credible fossil record for Ground Hornbills is

from 15 million years ago, from mid-Miocene deposits in

Morocco. Later prehistoric tectonic and climatic changes

split up the ranges on both the African and Asian landscapes.

Now hornbills face alterations that come from human activity

—including rapid, devastating changes both to habitat and to

the global climate change, fragmenting many of their habitats

and populations into dangerously small units, in this way

threatening their survival. (Kemp & Kemp, 2006)