Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill Tockus leucomelas Scientific name definitions

40 cm; male 153–242 g, female 138–211 g. Small, black and white hornbill with spotted wing-coverts , white in outer tail , and long yellow bill with only slight casque. Male with casque extending to tip of bill; bare skin around eye and on throat dark fleshy; eyes yellow, possibly occasionally brown. Distinguished from <em>T. flavirostris</em> by colour of circumorbital and throat skin. Female smaller, with shorter casque. Juvenile with dark brown blotches on short dull yellow bill, grey eyes.

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SW Angola and Namibia E to S Malawi, W Mozambique and N South Africa.

Scattered trees along watercourses in semi-desert in W, throughout open savanna and woodland in E.

Local seasonal movements reported from lowveld to escarpment of South Africa, and in more arid Kalahari, but occur most often during droughts.

Diet mainly arthropods, especially termites , ants, beetles, caterpillars  and grasshoppers , but also centipedes, scorpions , solifugids; some rodents taken, mainly during plagues, and bird eggs; also some fruit and seeds. Forages mainly on ground , picking off small animals  and fruit from surrounding vegetation and ground litter; digs only infrequently, but turns over debris or chases prey when necessary.

A long, fast series of mellow clucking notes, often increasing in speed and amplitude (especially if second bird responds), and breaking into ‘laughter’, “woh-woh-woh-woh-woh-woh-WAH-WAH-WAH-WAH”.

Lays after first summer rains, in Sept–Mar; rarely, second brood. Territorial in pairs. Nest in natural cavity 0·8–12·2 m up in tree; male brings lining of grass, leaves and bark; female seals entrance with own droppings and sticky food remains, sometimes assisted by male with lumps of mud. Clutch 2–6 eggs, preceded by pre-laying enclosure 4–5 days; incubation 24 days; chick hatches with and retains pink skin; female and chicks fed by male; female moults remiges and rectrices at same time, but emerges when oldest chick 19–27 days old, chicks reseal nest and then fed by male and female; fledging 42–47 days. Preyed on by wide range of raptors and small mammals.

Not globally threatened. Widespread and common in most parts of range, at densities of c. 1 pair/20 ha. Remains in areas with various forms of farming, and eliminated only where nest trees are removed. Common in several extensive protected areas .