Bird

Southern Ground Hornbill Sightings

Bucorvus leadbeateri

VulnerablePredatorSeen in 3 parks

Want to know where and when to find Southern Ground Hornbill right now? opspoor tracks live, verified sightings across South Africa's parks.

About the Southern Ground Hornbill

The southern ground hornbill is a very large, ground-dwelling hornbill of sub-Saharan Africa, strongly associated with open woodland, savanna and grassland. It has mainly black plumage, a large black bill and distinctive red skin around the face and throat. It spends much of its time walking across the ground searching for food and feeds on insects, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, birds, eggs and other animal prey. It is highly social, living in family groups that cooperate in territory defence and breeding.

How to identify the Southern Ground Hornbill

Very large ground-dwelling black bird with a bright red facial patch and throat, long legs, heavy black bill and prominent white wing patches visible in flight. Usually walks through open woodland and grassland.

Did you know?

Southern Ground Hornbills are cooperative breeders: several members of a family group help defend the territory, feed the chicks and protect the nest.

Also known as: Bromvoël, Hornbill, Ground Hornbill

Parks where you can see the Southern Ground Hornbill

Recent Southern Ground Hornbill sightings

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Planning a South Africa safari? opspoor tracks real, verified wildlife sightings like these across the country's parks — logged by people on the ground, not guesswork. It all works with zero signal, too, so a dead zone deep in the bush never costs you a sighting.