- Lophoceros pallidirostris
Identification
43 - 50cm. A small, greyish hornbill.
- Pale grey and brown above
- White stripe behind eye
- White tip to dark grey tail
- White underparts
- Pale yellow bill with greyish tip and fairly low casque
- neumanni is smaller, has a paler head and a red tip to the bill
Females are smaller, have a smaller casque ridge and a browner eye.
Juveniles have a small, casqueless bill.
Distribution
From Angola east to Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia.
Recorded as vagrant in Kenya.
Widespread and locally common.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies recognized:
- L. p. pallidirostris in Angola, southern Democratic Republic of the Congo and eastern Zambia
- L. p. neumanni in Zambia, Malawi, southeast Tanzania and northern Mozambique
Forms a superspecies with African Grey Hornbill.
Formerly placed in the genus Tockus.
Habitat
Found in extensive stands of dense deciduous miombo woodland.
Usually in denser, less open woodland than African Grey Hornbill.
Behaviour
Diet not well known. Probably mostly insectivorous.
Forages among foliage, sometimes on ground.
Breeding little known. Nests in a natural cavity in a tree, the entrance is sealed to a narrow slit. Lays 4-5 eggs.
References
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 2001. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 6: Mousebirds to Hornbills. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334306
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Pale-billed Hornbill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Pale-billed_Hornbill
