Bucorvidae – Ground Hornbills
The Bucorvidae or Ground Hornbills are a family of the order Bucerotiformes, with a single genus Bucorvus and two extant species (though possibly including another genus with six extant species). The family is endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa: the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill occurs in a belt from Senegal east to Ethiopia, and the Southern GroThey are large, with adults around a metre tall. Both species are ground-dwelling, unlike other hornbills, and feed on insects, snakes, other birds, amphibians and even tortoises. They are among the longest-lived of all birds and the larger southern species is possibly the slowest-breeding (triennially) and longest-lived of all birds.
It is currently thought that the ground hornbills, along with Tockus and Tropicranus, are almost exclusively carnivorous and lack the gular pouch that allows other, less closely related hornbill genera to store fruit.
According to the IOC the two species of Ground Hornbill in the family Bucorividae are:
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill Bucorvus abyssinicus
Southern Ground-Hornbill Bucorvus leadbetteri
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Abyssinian Ground Hornbill Bucorvus abyssinicus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill Bucorvus abyssinicus
Species AccountThe Abyssinian ground hornbill or northern ground hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus) is an African bird, found north of the equator, and is one of two species of ground hornbill. The other is the slightly larger southern ground hornbill; the two are the largest species of hornbills found in Africa. -
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill Bucorvus abyssinicus
Species AccountNorthern Ground-hornbill Bucorvus abyssinicus has most recently been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2018. Bucorvus abyssinicus is listed as Vulnerable under criteria A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd. -
Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri
BirdLife Species AccountBirdLife species profile... -
Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri
Species AccountThe southern ground hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri; formerly known as Bucorvus cafer), is one of two species of ground hornbill and is the largest species of hornbill. The other species of the genus Bucorvus is the Abyssinian ground hornbill, B. abyssinicus. -
Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri
IUCN Species StatusSouthern Ground-hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri has most recently been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016. Bucorvus leadbeateri is listed as Vulnerable under criteria A4bcd.
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Number of bird species: 2