Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
Tockus leucomelas
Mixed Savanna. Pied. Large yellow bill unmistakable.
LC
Near Endemic
Description
Common, near-endemic resident. Large yellow bill (with reddish base in immature) separates this from all other hornbills. The call is ‘wurk, wurk, wurk, wurk, wurk, wurk, wukwukak, wukwukak…’, the sound working up to a crescendo then fading away. Often two birds call simultaneously with a wing-opening, head-bowing display. Conspicuous in dry bushveld and savanna woodland.
Quick Facts
Size
48-60 cm - L
Names
A: Geelbekneushoringvoël
Z: uzazu
Ss: Korwe Ya Molomosehla
G: Gelbschnabeltoko
Bird Family
Insectivorous and frugivorous birds with large, decurved bills, sometimes with a horny casque on the upper mandible. Arboreal or terrestrial feeders, or both, they nest in holes in trees (among rocks in a few species) and, in most species, the female seals herself in during incubation. Their flight is heavy and undulating with periods of gliding.
Distribution
Gallery
Behaviour
Breeding
Habitat
