We’ve all heard how good things take time, right? Well, Southern Ground Hornbills, the largest hornbill species, swear by this adage as one mating pair produces just two eggs every nine years, and before anyone points out their prolonged breeding practice, only one of the two chicks survives. Don’t you wish it were faster, given the Savannahs and woodlands of Africa are the only primary home of these black-bodied and curved-billed vulnerable species? Yeah, same.

Talking of distinct features, it possesses a bright red patch of skin on the face extending towards the neck region, which contains another speck of purple among the brood females. Now, that accounts for fashion differences among the two genders, though as far as the food choices are concerned, both factions love getting close to the ground and preying upon small insects, reptiles, and seeds.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Angola

2016

Botswana

2016

Burundi

2016

DR Congo (Kinshasa)

2016

Eswatini

2016

Kenya

2016

Lesotho

2016

Malawi

2016

Mozambique

2016

Namibia

2016

Rwanda

2016

South Africa

2016

Tanzania

2016

Uganda

2016

Zambia

2016

Zimbabwe

2016

Did you know?

• Known for being territorial and highly social birds that rear their offspring in groups, which involves extensive parental guidance and may last up to two years. This process is the longest of any bird species that has been observed.