Tockus damarensis
The Damara Red-billed Hornbill (*Tockus damarensis*) is a striking medium-sized hornbill, typically measuring 35-42 cm (14-16.5 in) in length and weighing between 150-250g. It is distinguished by its long, slender, downcurved red bill with a yellowish tip, contrasting with its greyish-white underparts and dark brown to blackish upperparts adorned with white spots on the wing-coverts. A prominent white supercilium above a dark eye and a plain white belly aid identification, while its dark eyes...
Found primarily in arid and semi-arid savanna, Mopane woodland, thorn scrub, and dry riverine forest, typically at low to moderate elevations.
Omnivorous, primarily consuming insects (such as grasshoppers, beetles, ants, and termites), spiders, small reptiles, as well as various fruits and seeds. They forage by gleaning from the ground and vegetation.
Damara Red-billed Hornbills are diurnal, spending their days actively foraging both on the ground and within the sparse tree canopy. Their foraging strategy involves systematic gleaning for insects, often observed running on the ground or making short flights to snatch prey. They are monogamous a...
The Damara Red-billed Hornbill is a resident species found exclusively in the arid and semi-arid regions of Southern Africa. Its primary breeding and year-round range extends across central and northern Namibia, southern Angola, western Botswana, and the extreme northwestern parts of South Africa...
Least Concern
- The Damara Red-billed Hornbill was only recognized as a distinct species in 2002, previously considered a subspecies of the Red-billed Hornbill complex. - Female hornbills famously seal themselves inside a tree cavity nest using mud, their own droppings, and food pulp, leaving only a small slit...