hornbill

The beak of the yellow-billed hornbill Tockus flavirostris, common in dry bush country from Ethiopia to South Africa, illustrates one of the extremes to which beaks have evolved. There is, however, no satisfactory explanation for this bizarre adaptation. This species lacks the prominent casque found in some of the larger members of the family.

Any of a group of omnivorous birds found in Africa, India, and Malaysia. They are about 1 m/3 ft long, and have powerful down-curved beaks, usually surmounted by a bony growth or casque. During the breeding season, the female walls herself into a hole in a tree and does not emerge until the young are hatched. There are about 45 species. (Family Bucerotidae, order Coraciiformes.)

Hornbills feed chiefly on the ground, their food consisting of insects, small mammals, and reptiles. The great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) of Southeast Asia can reach up to 1.3 m/4.3 ft in length.

The southern ground hornbill lives in groups of about three to five birds (though sometimes as many as ten) with only one breeding pair, and the rest acting as helpers. On average, only one chick is reared successfully every nine years. Lifespan can be 40 years or more.