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HORNBILLS

The Yellow-billed (Tockus flavirostris) and Red-billed Hornbills (T. erythrorhynchus) are common in the bushveld areas, both species often being found scratching in elephant-dung for beetles or other in sects on which they feed. They also eat berries and seeds as well as any scraps of food left by visitors at picnic-sites or in the camps.

Hornbills have unusual nesting habits, the female being walled-in as a voluntary 'prisoner'. When the breeding season approaches, a tree with a suitable hole is selected and here the female remains whilst the male fetches a supply of mud. Together they seal off the en trance to the cavity, leaving only a small hole to connect the now- trapped female with the outside world. For several weeks the male feeds the female through this gap while she lays her eggs and later rears the young. Finally, when the young have grown sufficiently, the mud wall is broken down.

Several other species of hornbill are found, but these tend to be less common and have a more limited distribution. The Grey Hornbills (T. nasutus) and Crowned Hornbills (T. alboterminatus australis) have essentially similar habits to their more numerous relatives.

Somewhat larger and more striking are the Trumpeter Hornbills (Bycanistes bucinator). Although their distribution stretches through out the Park, they are common only in the riverine forest adjoining the Luvuvhu River at Pafuri. Normally found in groups, they have plaintive calls which closely resemble the forlorn sounds of a crying baby.

Ground Hornbills (Bucorvus lead beaten) are the giants of this avian group. Throughout the Park these large, ponderous birds are found in groups of up to ten, usually seen strutting slowly along the road seeking insects or other small creatures such as frogs or lizards which make up their diet. If disturbed they swiftly take flight, but soon settle on a nearby tree. Like other hornbills they nest in cavities within trees, but do not seal the entrance holes.

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