Southern Red-billed Hornbill
Tockus rufirostris
A small, black-and-white hornbill with a petite red bill; male has a black base to the mandible. Pairs occur in open savanna with sparse ground cover, where they hop on the ground foraging for invertebrates. The territorial display, given with the head bowed and wings spread, starts with a series of “kok-kok-kok” notes, becoming a rolling bisyllabic “kokok-kokok”. Similar Damara Red-billed Hornbill differs by having brown (not yellow) eyes and an unmarked creamy white head and neck. Jackson’s Hornbill is larger, with a more robust bill and dark face and eyes. Crowned Hornbill has a solidly brown back and orange bill.
Identification
The sexes are similar, but males are larger and heavier. Males also have somewhat longer bills, with the lower mandible coloured black to a variable extent. It is distinguishable from other red-billed hornbills by the combination of yellow iris and pale orbital skin (pink to greyish), and the ample blackish plumage streaking from the ear coverts to the side of the neck.[citation needed] The throat is white, and the wing coverts clearly spotted.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Tockus rufirostris
- Authority
- (Sundevall, 1850)
- Order
- Bucerotiformes
- Family
- Bucerotidae
- Genus
- Tockus
Range and habitat
It is found from Malawi and Zambia to southern Angola, northeastern Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, eastern Eswatini and northern South Africa (Transvaal and northern KZN province). It occurs in the upper Zambezi valley of Mozambique, but is mostly absent from the eastern lowlands.
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rufous Piculet
Sasia abnormis
Absolutely miniscule woodpecker. Tailless and round-bodied, resembling a wren or cupwing in shape. Olive above and orange below; lacks the white brow patch of White-browed Piculet. Forages in dense secondary growth from lowlands up into the foothills, often in bamboo stands. Clambers around in and flutters between low-lying vegetation, seldom high up in the canopy. Makes sharp squeaks somewhat resembling shoes rubbing on wet floors. Drums are surprisingly loud for its size.
Lesser Shrike-Tyrant
Agriornis murinus
Small (and small-billed) shrike-tyrant of open country in the southern cone, more reminiscent of a monjita than a shrike-tyrant. Note small bill, lacking terminal hook. Breeds in northern Patagonia and the southern Monte desert, as well as the Sierra de Comenchingones in central Argentina. Disperses northward and upslope into W Paraguay and SE Bolivia during the austral winter. Prefers exposed perches in low vegetation, wires, and shrubs.
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Contopus cooperi
Stocky flycatcher that almost always perches conspicuously on a high bare perch with an upright posture. From the front, look for dark sides creating a vest, with a bright white stripe from throat to belly. White patches on the sides of rump are sometimes visible from behind. Most similar to pewees but larger and larger-billed, with more contrasting vest. Feeds on insects. Breeds in clearings and bogs in boreal or mountainous forests, but can be found in migration in open habitats with a mixture of woods and clearings. Distinctive whistled song is often likened to "quick, three beers;" also listen for "pip" call notes.
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