Alternative names: Decken's Hornbill
- Tockus deckeni
Identification
35cm (13¾ in). A small, pied Hornbill.
- White underparts
- Black wings with white middle secondaries and middle greater-coverts
- Long black tail, outer rectrices white
- White head with black around eye and on crown
- Red bill and casque with yellow outer half
- Fleshy throat skin
Females are smaller and have a smaller black bill and casque.
Juveniles have a small dark horn bill with yellow patches and spotted wing-coverts.
Similar species
Jackson's Hornbill has spotted wing-coverts.
Distribution
Eastern Africa, especially to the east of the Rift Valley, from Ethiopia south to Tanzania.
Widespread and locally common.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Jackson's Hornbill was formerly considered a subspecies of this species.
Habitat
Thorn scrub and similar arid habitats.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes insects, fruit and seeds.
Forages mainly on ground but also high up in fruiting trees.
Breeding
Breeding season February to July. 2-4 white eggs are laid in a tree hole, which is blocked off with a cement made of mud, droppings and fruit pulp. There is only one narrow opening, just big enough for the male to transfer food to the mother and the chicks. Once the chicks and the female are too big to fit in the nest, the mother breaks out and rebuilds the wall, then both parents feed the chicks.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- 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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Von der Decken's Hornbill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Von_der_Decken%27s_Hornbill
