Southern Ground hornbill

The ground-hornbills are the largest and heaviest of the hornbill species. There are two species, Bucorvus abyssinicus and Bucorvus leadbeateri. The southern ground hornbill sexes have the same plumage, being almost entirely black, with white wing patches seen when the bird is in flight. The male has a bare facial skin and an inflatable throat skin that is bright red. Both males and females develop these gular flaps. The females are smaller and differ by having violet blue patches at the throat below the bill, which can sometimes cover most of the facial skin. This patch is a pale yellow colour in juveniles that slowly turns darker over a period of about four years. Juveniles are browner than the adults with black flecks in the primaries, gray sides to the bill and pale gray-brown facial skin closely resembling the male adult. They have a strong, black beak that gently curves downward with a small casque between the eyes. This casque tends to be more developed in males. They have long eyelashes and stout, long legs. The male is generally larger than the female.

Length: 90 to 130 cm.
Weight: Males; 3.5 to 6.2 kg. Females; 2.25 to 4.6 kg.

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