| Southern red-billed hornbill | |
|---|---|
_male%2c_crop.jpg) | |
| Male,Chobe National Park,Botswana | |
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| Female in theKruger National Park | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Bucerotiformes |
| Family: | Bucerotidae |
| Genus: | Tockus |
| Species complex: | Tockus erythrorhynchus complex |
| Species: | T. rufirostris |
| Binomial name | |
| Tockus rufirostris (Sundevall, 1850) | |
Thesouthern red-billed hornbill (Tockus rufirostris) is a species ofhornbill in the familyBucerotidae, which is native to thesavannas and dryerbushlands of southernAfrica. It is replaced by a near-relative, theDamara red-billed hornbill, in the aridwoodlands of westernNamibia. All fivered-billed hornbills were formerly consideredconspecific.
It is usually treated as amonotypic taxon, but two additional subspecies have been proposed:[1]
T. r. degens is the smallest in size, whileT. r. ngamiensis has browner plumage and a more distinct tail bar. The differences are clinal.
The sexes are similar, but males are larger and heavier. Males also have somewhat longer bills, with the lowermandible coloured black to a variable extent.[1] It is distinguishable from other red-billed hornbills by the combination of yellowiris and pale orbital skin (pink to greyish), and the ample blackish plumage streaking from theear coverts to the side of the neck.[citation needed] The throat is white, and the wing coverts clearly spotted.[2]
The call consists of an accelerating series notes,kuk kuk kuk ... which ends in a crescendo of double notes,kuk-we kuk-we. Unlike other red-billed hornbills, Southern red-billed hornbills do not raise their wings in display.[2]
It is found fromMalawi andZambia to southernAngola, northeasternNamibia,Botswana,Zimbabwe, easternEswatini and northernSouth Africa (Transvaal and northernKZN province). It occurs in the upperZambezi valley ofMozambique, but is mostly absent from the eastern lowlands.[3]
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