Northern Ground-Hornbill

Bucorvus abyssinicus

Home comforts

Females lay one to two eggs, though usually only one survives. The chick leaves the nest after 90 days, but remains dependent on its parents until it reaches sexual maturity at around three or four years of age.

The birds with silver anniversaries

Hornbills can live to the age of 30. They mate for life and live in family units comprising parents and offspring. Only the females incubate the eggs, but once the chicks have hatched both parents are responsible for feeding.

Characteristics

  • Origin

    Africa

  • Habitat

    savannahs, dry forests and grasslands, the Ethiopian Highlands

  • Diet

    Hornbills eat whatever they can get, which includes locusts, lizards, snakes, turtles, birds and small mammals – as well as carrion.

  • Status

    vulnerable

  • Size

    100 cm

  • Weight

    4 kg

  • Breeding period

    30 to 45 days

  • Achievable age

    up to 30 years in the wild, up to 40 years in human care

Threat Categories of IUCN

Did you know that ...

...northern ground-hornbills grow to approx. one metre in length and weigh up to 5 kg,
...they spend most of their lives on the ground hence their name,
...and they can run up to 30 km per hour?

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