African Ground Hornbill — Brevard Zoo

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African Ground Hornbill

Ground hornbills (Bucorvinae) are a subfamily of the hornbill family Bucerotidae.

African Ground Hornbill

Ground hornbills are large, with adults standing around a metre tall. Unlike other hornbills, both species are ground-dwelling yet are fully flighted birds.

Southern ground hornbills utilize cooperative breeding with groups consisting of a dominant breeding pair and up to 9 additional adults (usually males) and subadults. In captivity a female can lay 1 clutch of 2 eggs per year. The females nest in crevices but are not sealed in like other hornbill species.

Ground hornbills can be very long-lived. They are omnivorous and are opportunistic feeders. They are sexually dichromatic with the females having blue markings on their red throat patches. Our pair gets along well but have not produced any eggs yet.