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Crowned Hornbill
Tockus alboterminatus
IUCN Status: Least concern
Size:Length; 50cm. Weight; 332g.
Habitat and Distribution:Ethiopia, Zaire, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia to Angola, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. Montane, riverine and coastal forest.
Groups and Breeding:Nest in a natural cavity of a tree trunk or branch. The female lays up to 5 eggs after sealing herself into the nest cavity with her own droppings. Incubation is for a period of up to 27 days and chicks fledge after 55 days. Throughout the incubation the male feeds the female through a narrow opening which the female leaves in the sealed entrance to the nest cavity.
Diet: Insects and spiders, lizards, small mammals and fruit.
- One of the 54 species which make up the Bucerotidae family (hornbills).
- Both the common name hornbill and the scientific name of the family refer to the shape of the bill, "buceros" being "cow horn" in Greek.
- Hornbills are the only bird species in which the first two neck vertebrae are fused together; this probably provides a more stable platform for carrying the bill.
Want to Help?
A visit to the Cotswold Wildlife Park can now be even more worthwhile. By adopting an animal, you can provide a helpful contribution towards the costs of keeping and feeding the animals and supporting our conservation breeding programmes... click here for more information