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Red-billed Hornbill (Tockus erythrorhynchus)



Other names:
Afrikaans: Rooibekneushoringvoël
French: Calao à bec rouge, Petit Calao à bec rouge
German: Rotschnabeltoko
Dutch: Roodbek hoornsnavel, Roodsnaveltok

One of the characteristic birds of dry thorn-bush. It is easily distinguished from the other small hornbills having spotted white wing coverts and a uniformly coloured red-orange beak.

Physical characteristics:
The Red-billed hornbill is distinguished by a red bill. It does not have the casque on the bill that many other hornbills have. It is brownish black above with white markings and white below.

Habitat:
The Red-billed hornbill inhabits the African tree and bush savanna.

Behavior:
Red-billed hornbills usually occur in pairs or small parties. They are sedentary and defend a permanent territory that may range up to 25 acres. Short wings and a direct flight support their terrestrial foraging. They utter clucking calls with the head bowed and the wings slightly opened during display.

Diet:
These birds are omnivorous, taking both plant and animal food. They skillfully seize swarming termites in flight and pursue grasshoppers on the ground.

Reproduction and growth:
Hornbills reach sexual maturity at between one and six years depending on their size, but how long they live in the wild is unknown. The rainy season stimulates breeding behavior.

Most hornbills are monogamous. They nest in natural cavities, usually in trees but also in rock faces and earth banks. In most species, including the Red-billed hornbill, the female seals the nest entrance using mud and her own droppings mixed with food remains. She makes a narrow vertical slit, through which the male feeds her.

The female lays up to five eggs. She incubates for three weeks, remaining sealed in with her offspring for another three weeks. It takes about five hours for her to chip away the hard, brick-like wall so that she can leave the nest. She then joins the male in finding food and returning to feed the young. When the mother leaves the nest the young are already able to seal themselves in with wooden chips. They remain in the nest for an additional 11/2 months, while both parents continue to supply them with food.

During the time the female is sealed in the nest, she undergoes a simultaneous molt of all her flight and tail feathers. They are dropped at the time of egg laying and regrown by the time she emerges.

aka....The Flying Chilli

aka...the Afsaal Pest

Larger Version

Seen near Skukuza, August 2008

Being modestly new to the whole birding fraternity, I am blown away when spotting any of several "awesome" birds (which is - oh, all of them!) - Had the priviledge today to chase a Bateleur for about 45 mins, (got some stunning ariel photo's) before he finally landed on the road, and was promptly chased away by (an obvious non birder in a white Toyota bakkie.....) *FUME*

But that said, I obviously have questions regarding the birds I see as sometimes they are incredibly hard to identify from the books I have.....
Who of the advanced, learned birders can help me with an answer to this question?
I am pretty sure I have photo's of a Damara Hornbill taken in Kruger - would that even be possible? I hear it is only found in Namibia.
It is not a standard Red billed Hornbill as it has black eyes, and it is not Moteiro's Hornbill as it has the white head topped with a black strip, and the what would we call it..... "Kuif?"
Anyone willing to play mediator and give me an answer?

HELP.
I do not as yet know how to post photo's here but am willing to email the photos.....

Haplo, I've sent you a PM with my email address. I will gladly post your pic for you tomorrow morning.

Until I ventured a look on-line, I thought they were simply
Redbilled Hornbills. It seems that some differentiate, while some
think they are all one basic species, with 5 subdivisions.

http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=D ... ill&gwp=13

The pics may (or may not, as in my case) help.

http://www.google.com/images?q=Damara+H ... en___US235

In any case, enjoy looking. My question, is Kuif a Casque?

Daan

Welcome to the Forum Haplo. To help you with ID of birds, why dont you join in the weekly challenge We (new birders) have learned such a lot by doing these and Im get more and more confident everyday in making a call just because of what I picked up in the challenges

Whew - thanks for the interest.....
Let's do this one ata time....

Imax - thanks for the trouble, and the time. And the info.
Didn't realize that the young ones would have dark eyes, very interesting.... Not a single bird resource I have looked at, Internet or otherwise had anything to say about that... Do you think they are trying to confuse us... OK, but that is a conspiracy theory for another time. See why I was tearing my hair out?? Who knew??
None of the books I looked at - or the internet for that matter had that info.
So, Imax you're pretty darn good in my book!

Vanalder (Daan) - I hear you, and believe me I checked out the google page last night already, when in doubt, Googolize... but no info there regarding what I had seen, just more confusing stuff about *read in a low husky voice* "only the Damara hornbill has black (dark) eyes"
What's a junior birder to do? Oi! thanks for the links and the interest, is appreciated. PS - "Kuif" - afrikaans word for fringe... as in that part that old balding men (not me ) comb over their heads to cover the bald spot.... no, not Casque.

Mgoddard - thank you too for the info, and the suggestion. Will give it a go once I've learned to navigate around this page properly, I am quite computer literate, just haven't learned the easiest way to navigate this site and still struggling to find all the time to devote to the forum that everyone else seems to have....

To everyone - Thanks for takin' the time.
Now all I have to do is learn how to post pics here, and I too, can be a birding god!!!!

Haplo, that time in a birds life when it changes from an immature to a adult is the most confusing to us birders. I once had a number of experts convinced on a black flycatcher, until i showed them some more photos of the parents (glossy starlings) feeding it. If you looked very closely you could see the start of the blue coming through. the bird was adult sized and also had black eyes where the adults have the bright orange eyes.

Truth is that i have never seen a chick with other than black eyes, so all of them somewhere along the line changes colour.

Sorting out some of my pics, so thought I'd post a few.

Preening Red-billed Hornbill.


Barcud