Southern Red-billed Hornbill (Tockus rufirostris)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Southern Red-billed Hornbill

Tockus rufirostris (Sundevall, 1850)

150 gWeight

The southern red-billed hornbill (Tockus rufirostris) is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae, which is native to the savannas and dryer bushlands of southern Africa.

Busiest months: September–November · Most records: South Africa, Botswana, Zambia

Where and when it's recorded

Southern Red-billed Hornbill has been recorded at 137 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 9 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Kruger NP – Satara CampSouth Africa933 records
  2. Zaagkuildrift RdSouth Africa555 records
  3. Kruger NP – Berg-en-Dal CampSouth Africa403 records
More places
  1. Chobe NPBotswana371 records
  2. Kruger NP – Skukuza CampSouth Africa370 records
  3. Etosha NP – Halali CampNamibia362 records
  4. Chobe River – west of KasaneBotswana299 records
  5. Kruger NP – Letaba CampSouth Africa298 records
  6. Kruger NP – Shingwedzi CampSouth Africa267 records
  7. South Luangwa NPZambia265 records

Countries and regions with the most records

South AfricaBotswanaZambiaNamibiaZimbabweMalawiEswatiniMozambique

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The southern red-billed hornbill (Tockus rufirostris) is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae, which is native to the savannas and dryer bushlands of southern Africa. It is replaced by a near-relative, the Damara red-billed hornbill, in the arid woodlands of western Namibia. All five red-billed hornbills were formerly considered conspecific.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Southern Red-billed Hornbill?

The Southern Red-billed Hornbill weighs around 150 g.

Where does the Southern Red-billed Hornbill live?

Its breeding range: Africa: Malawi and Zambia to southern Angola and Transvaal. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Botswana and Zambia.

When is the best time to see the Southern Red-billed Hornbill?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in September, October and November (Southern Hemisphere).

What does the Southern Red-billed Hornbill eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Southern Red-billed Hornbill in?

It belongs to the family Hornbills (Bucerotidae), order Bucerotiformes.

At a glance

Weight
150 g
Habitat
Woodland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
More measurements
Wing
181 mm
Tail
190 mm
Bill
76 mm
Tarsus
40 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: Malawi and Zambia to southern Angola and Transvaal

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Hornbills Bucerotidae
Genus
Tockus

Other birds in the genus Tockus

Tanzanian Red-billed HornbillTanzanian Red-billed HornbillTockus ruahaeWestern Red-billed HornbillWestern Red-billed HornbillTockus kempiDamara Red-billed HornbillDamara Red-billed HornbillTockus damarensisNorthern Red-billed HornbillNorthern Red-billed HornbillTockus erythrorhynchusMonteiro's HornbillMonteiro's HornbillTockus monteiriVon der Decken's HornbillVon der Decken's HornbillTockus deckeniJackson's HornbillJackson's HornbillTockus jacksoniSouthern Yellow-billed HornbillSouthern Yellow-billed HornbillTockus leucomelasEastern Yellow-billed HornbillEastern Yellow-billed HornbillTockus flavirostrisAbyssinian Ground HornbillAbyssinian Ground HornbillBucorvus abyssinicus
Southern Red-billed Hornbill

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗

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