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The southern yellow-billed hornbill is a medium-sized bird native to southern Africa, known for its large, yellow, down-curved bill and black-and-white plumage. It is an omnivore that forages on the ground for insects, seeds, and fruit, and has a unique nesting behavior where the female seals herself inside a tree cavity. The female is fed by the male through a small slit in the entrance during incubation.
Physical characteristics
Size: 48–60 cm in length
Weight: 132–242 grams
Beak: A large, yellow, down-curved beak that can be up to 1/6th of its body length. A male's beak is longer on average than a female's.
Plumage: Black and white with a white belly and grey neck.
Diet and foraging
Omnivorous: Eats arthropods (like termites, beetles, and caterpillars), scorpions, small mammals, and fruits, berries, and seeds.
Ground forager: Primarily forages on the ground, but also nests in trees.
Cooperative foraging: Can forage with dwarf mongooses, with the hornbills alerting the mongoose to overhead predators in exchange for the mongoose disturbing prey on the ground.
