Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
Tockus leucomelas
A medium-sized, mostly black-and-white hornbill with a diagnostic yellow bill that gives it the nickname of “flying banana”. Pairs and small groups occupy semi-desert, savanna, and broadleaved woodland; associates closely with humans in camps. Hops on the ground foraging for invertebrates, and flies into trees when disturbed. It calls a continuous rollicking “ko-ko, ko-ko”, working up to a crescendo, “ko-kukuk, ko-kukuk, ko-kukuk”, with its wings held open and its head bowed.
识别特征
It is a medium-sized bird, 48–60 cm (19–24 in) in length, 132–242 g (0.29–0.53 lb) in weight and is characterized by a long yellow and down-curved beak. This beak is huge in comparison to its body and can account for up 1/6th of the entire body length. Male beaks are on average 90 mm long while female beaks are an average of 74 mm. Males are generally bigger than females but there is overlap between the sexes. The size difference of the beak is a fairly reliable way of differentiating sex in wild hornbills.<p>The casque that characterizes all hornbills is of a very modest size in the southern yellow-billed hornbill. It is small, but it covers almost the entire length of the beak in males (less so in females), and may give the impression that they do not actually have a casque. As in all hornbills, the size of the beak actually intrudes on the frontal vision of the bird and the first two neck vertebrae are fused together.<p>Also, like most other hornbills, they possess a long tail, long eyelashes, stubby legs and stubby toes. The front three toes are fused together near the base.<p>They have white belly, grey neck, and black back plumage with abundant white spots and stripes. The neck has gray spots and the chest is lightly striated with black. Southern yellow-billed hornbills have no plumage pigmentation save for melanin, which can only produce shades of black and white. The eyes are usually yellow, though brown has also been seen. The skin around the eyes and in the malar stripe is pinkish. The related eastern yellow-billed hornbill from north-eastern Africa has blackish skin around the eyes.
分类信息
- 学名
- Tockus leucomelas
- 命名信息
- (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1842)
- 目
- Bucerotiformes
- 科
- Bucerotidae
- 属
- Tockus
分布与栖息地
These birds are near endemic to the dry savannas of southern Africa, where they can be found across all longitudes, from Angola and Namibia in the west to Mozambique and KwaZulu-Natal in the east, including Botswana, Zimbabwe and northern South Africa.<p>The southern yellow-billed hornbill lives mostly in the dry, open savannas, but they are also very partial to woodlands when they can find them. When in woodlands, they seem to prefer acacia and broadleaved woodlands. The highest reported concentration of southern yellow-billed hornbill is in open mopane scrub.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
The southern yellow-billed hornbill is active during morning, day and evening. At night, it will sleep high in a tree so it won't be preyed on. They can be found alone, in couples or in small groups. They generally tend to be loners unless it is breeding season, nesting season or if there is local migration during dry season.<p>The southern yellow-billed hornbill is often seen searching for food on the ground or in shrubs. It will not dig the ground, but it will overturn debris to find insects. It can also be seen pursuing insects by hopping heavily after it.<p>They are generally sedentary and they will defend their territories with elaborate displays. However, during the dry season, they will sometimes range widely in order to find food. Couples are usually monogamous and have a clear division of labour between males and females.<p>They have been known to live for up to 20 years in captivity, though their longevity in the wild remains unknown.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Pale-eyed Blackbird
Agelasticus xanthophthalmus
Medium-sized blackbird found locally in habitats with wet grass. Shiny black, with a white or light yellow eye and sharply pointed black bill. Giant Cowbird occasionally has a pale eye and may appear similar, but is much larger than Pale-eyed Blackbird; told apart from the similar Velvet-fronted Grackle by its pale eyes, longer, more pointed bill, and shorter tail. Found in wet grasslands and grassy margins of oxbow lakes, where it forages singly, in pairs, or in small groups.
Pale-tailed Barbthroat
Threnetes leucurus
Scarce hummingbird that looks similar to a hermit. Look for buffy patch across the base of the neck, bold whitish flashes in the tail, and a fairly long, slightly decurved bill. Face pattern is rather diffuse, but look for the whitish mustache and pale line behind the eye. Found in the understory of forest and edges in lowlands and foothills below around 1,100 m where it stays low, quickly zipping around flower patches.
Rufous-tailed Lark
Ammomanes phoenicura
A plain, relatively well-proportioned lark which is brownish above and rufous below, with streaks on the breast. The bill is conical and heavy, and the long wings impart a slender appearance. Inhabits open areas with scrub and rocky landscapes. Often solitary or in pairs, foraging busily on the ground and often perching on high mounds or on wires. The pleasant song consists of short whistles and liquid trilling notes.
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