African Grey Hornbill

Food

It mainly eats animals, such as birds eggs and nestlings, insects, rodents and frogs, supplemented with small fruit. It mainly forages by flying to different bushes, catching prey as it moves; it may also grab animals on the ground. The following food items have been recorded in its diet:


Animals

rodents (Rodentia)

tree frogs

arachnids

insects

Orthoptera (crickets and grasshoppers)

Coleoptera (beetles)

moths and their larvae, caterpillars (Lepidoptera)


Plants

fruit

Ficus (wild figs)

Commiphora (corkwoods)

peanuts

Breeding

It usually nests in natural holes in tree trunks or branches; once a site has been selected the female seals it from the inside with her own faeces. Most of its nests have a "chimney" or "funk-hole", which is a tunnel leading out from the cavity that the female moves into if it feels threatened. It occasionally nests in rock crevices, barbet-made tree holes and nest boxes.

Egg-laying season starts after first strong summer rains, peaking from October-November.

It lays 3-5 eggs at 1-7 day intervals, taking about 6-10 days to complete the clutch.

Incubation is done solely by the female for about 24 days, fed by the male through the small entrance slit.

The chicks stay in the nest for 43-49 days, although the female leaves when the oldest chick is 19-34 days old, after which the chicks reseal the entrance. After fledging the young join their parents on foraging trips, becoming fully independent a few weeks later.

Threats

Not threatened, in fact its common in many areas, especially in the Etosha National Park (Namibia), Hwange National Park (Zimbabwe) and the Kruger National Park (South Africa).



References

Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Roberts - Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.