The Southern Ground Hornbill, Bucorvus leadbeateri, is the largest of the 58 Hornbill species distributed mainly in Asia, India and Africa. 

Ground Hornbills are large, conspicuous, turkey-sized birds with black plumage and very characteristic red facial skin.

 

The Southern Ground Hornbill is a long-lived bird, and is

the largest co-operative breeding bird in the world (and

as such, is of great interest to science and scientists).

They live in groups of 2 to 12 individuals that occupy and

vigorously defend large territories of up to 100 square

kilometers.

Groups can either consist of a single breeding pair or a

large group with a dominant breeding pair and helpers of

various ages.

Ground Hornbills spend most of their time searching slowly

along the ground for food. They are predominantly carnivorous,

feeding on a large range of insects, reptiles, amphibians and

small to medium sized mammals.

 

Sexes look alike, but once they are fully mature, the males have fully red facial skin, while the female has a patch of violet blue below the bill, which in some cases can cover most of the lower parts of the facial skin.

 

They are strong but low fliers with white primary feather, but are seldom spotted in flight.

They roost nightly in large trees in different locations.

 

Ground Hornbills nest high in large trees with sizable cavities and in holes on cliffs. In 80% of clutches, the breeding female lays two eggs and the first egg is laid three to five days before the second. Since incubation commences with the first egg, the chicks hatch 3 to 5 days apart. The older chick may weigh 250g by the time the second hatched chick hatches, at about 60g. The eldest chick always out-competes its younger sibling for food and the younger dies of starvation within a few days from hatching.