African Grey Hornbills are smaller members of the Hornbill family which are easily identified by their casque on their beak. This is to aid vocalisation.
During the breeding season females will build a nest in a tree hollow and seal herself in to protect herself and her eggs from predators. The male will keep returning to the nest and pass food through a small opening. When the chicks are 30 days old the female will break out of the nest but continue to feed the chicks until they are around 45 days old.
Our pair of hornbills are called Aziz and Zazu, they were both bred in 2018 and came to the park later that year.
Scientific Name:
Lophoceros naustus
Status:
Least concern
Size:
45 – 50cm
Weight:
160g – 250g
Life Span:
20 years
Habitat:
Forests, Savannah & Grassland
Diet:
Omnivore
Insects, Seeds Small Amphibians Small Mammals
Central and South Africa
Ayres’s hawk eagle and the Lanner falcon
Crepuscular, lives in pairs or a flock.
Not currently under threat, with stable populations in the wild.
