Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill (Tockus leucomelas)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill

Tockus leucomelas (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1842)

188 gWeight

The southern yellow-billed hornbill (Tockus leucomelas) is a hornbill found in southern Africa.

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

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

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

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill has been recorded at 140 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 9 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Kruger NP – Satara CampSouth Africa768 records
  2. Kruger NP – Skukuza CampSouth Africa511 records
  3. Zaagkuildrift RdSouth Africa500 records
More places
  1. Etosha NP – Halali CampNamibia415 records
  2. Mkhuze GRSouth Africa396 records
  3. Etosha NP – Okaukuejo CampNamibia348 records
  4. Chobe NPBotswana325 records
  5. Madikwe GRSouth Africa316 records
  6. Kruger NP – Berg-en-Dal CampSouth Africa309 records
  7. Kruger NP – H7/Orpen-Satara RoadSouth Africa307 records

Countries and regions with the most records

South AfricaNamibiaBotswanaZimbabweEswatiniAngolaZambiaMalawi

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 yellow-billed hornbill (Tockus leucomelas) is a hornbill found in southern Africa. Yellow-billed hornbills feed mainly on the ground, where they forage for seeds, small insects, spiders and scorpions. This hornbill species is a common and widespread resident of dry thornveldt and broad-leafed woodlands.

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

Questions

How big is the Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill?

The Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill weighs around 188 g.

Where does the Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill live?

Its breeding range: Africa: southern. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

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

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

Is the Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill as Least Concern.

What does the Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill in?

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

At a glance

Weight
188 g
Habitat
Grassland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
189 mm
Tail
206 mm
Bill
76 mm
Tarsus
43 mm

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

Range

Africa: southern

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 damarensisSouthern Red-billed HornbillSouthern Red-billed HornbillTockus rufirostrisNorthern 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 jacksoniEastern Yellow-billed HornbillEastern Yellow-billed HornbillTockus flavirostrisAbyssinian Ground HornbillAbyssinian Ground HornbillBucorvus abyssinicus
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill

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

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