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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