African Grey Hornbill

Afrikaans name: Grysneushoringvoël

African Grey Hornbill

Photo © Steven Herbert

Tockus nasutus

African Grey Hornbill behaviour

This hornbill certainly knows how to draw attention to itself! It will perch on an exposed perch and give its loud “piping" call. They are most often seen singly. Their flight is rather undulating.

African Grey Hornbill appearance

Male and female have similar plumage, but the bill of the male is black and that of the female is reddish on the tip. They reach a length of around 45 cm which is quite small when compared to other hornbills. African Grey Hornbills weigh around 150 grams.

African Grey Hornbill diet

From rats to peanuts I think that this bird eats everything it comes across! Items recorded in its diet are rodents, insects, spiders, frogs, fruit and, of course, peanuts. Most often they will fly from tree to tree and see what food it can find before moving on. They will, however, also go to ground and hunt for food there.

African Grey Hornbill breeding

These birds don’t make their own nest holes. They prefer natural cavities in trees or occasionally, disused barbet nests. The female enters the cavity when she is ready to lay her eggs and seals up most of the entrance hole, leaving a small slit which will allow the male to provide her with food. It can take her up to 10 days to lay her 3 to 5 eggs. Once the chicks are around 3 weeks old the female leaves the nest, and the chicks reseal the entrance. They are then fed by the parents. The chicks leave the nest when ready to fly.

Photo © Steven Herbert

African Grey Hornbill distribution and habitat

Although it is not as common as the Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, it is common and widespread over much of sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa it is found, in suitable habitat, over most of the northern and north-eastern parts of the country. Their preferred habitats are woodland, thornveld and savanna.

Roberts Birds Names by Edition

Edition	Roberts nr	Scientific name
1st	424	Lophoceros nasutus epirhinus
2nd	424	Lophoceros nasutus
3rd	424	Tockus nasutus
4th	424	Tockus nasutus
5th	457	Tockus nasutus
6th	457	Tockus nasutus
7th	76	Lophoceros nasutus

Edition	Roberts nr	English name
1st	424	South African Grey Hornbill
2nd	424	Grey Hornbill
3rd	424	Grey Hornbill
4th	424	Grey Hornbill
5th	457	Grey Hornbill
6th	457	Grey Hornbill
7th	76	African Grey Hornbill

Edition	Roberts nr	Afrikaans name
1st	424	Grys-neushoringvoël
2nd	424	Grys Neushoringvoël
3rd	424	Grys Neushoringvoël
4th	424	Grys Neushoringvoël
5th	457	Grysneushoringvoël
6th	457	Grysneushoringvoël
7th	76	Grysneushoringvoël

References and further reading

The Birds of South Africa - 1st Edition - Author: Dr. Austin Roberts - Published: 1949 - Page: 173

Wildlife of Southern Africa - Author: Martin Withers and David Hosking - Published: 2011 - Page: 130

Sasol Birds of Southern Africa - 1st Edition - Author: Ian Sinclair et al. - Published: 1993 - Page: 258

Sasol Birds of Southern Africa - 4th Edition - Author: Ian Sinclair et al. - Published: 2011 - Page: 266

Southern African Bird Names Explained - Author: Charles Clinning - Published: 1989 - Page: 143

Roberts Birds of Southern Africa - 5th Edition - Author: Gordon Lindsay Maclean - Published: 1985 - Page: 397

Roberts Birds of Southern Africa - 6th Edition - Author: Gordon Lindsay Maclean - Published: 1993 - Page: 394

Roberts Birds of South Africa - 3rd Edition - Author: McLachlan and Liversidge - Published: 1975 - Page: 287

Roberts Birds of South Africa - 4th Edition - Author: McLachlan and Liversidge - Published: 1981 - Page: 302

Roberts Bird Guide - Author: Hugh Chittenden - Published: 2007 - Page: 42

Roberts Birds of South Africa - 2nd edition - Author: McLachlan and Liversidge - Published: 1957 - Page: 226

Newmans Birds of Southern Africa - 1st Edition - Author: Ken Newman - Published: 1984 - Page: 258

Newmans Birds of Southern Africa - 7th Edition - Author: Ken Newman - Published: 2000 - Page: 258

Geoff Lockwoods Garden Birds of Southern Africa - Author: Geoff Lockwood - Published: 0 - Page: 27

Ian Sinclairs Field Guide to the Birds of Southern Africa - 2nd Edition - Author: Ian Sinclair - Published: 1988 - Page: 184

Garden Birds in South Africa - Author: Duncan Butchart - Published: 2017 - Page: 70

Field Guide to the Birds of Kruger National Park - Author: Ian Sinclair and Ian Whyte - Published: 1991 - Page: 130

Field Guide to the Cradle of Humankind - Author: B. Hilton-Barber & Prof. L. R. Berger - Published: 2004 - Page: 182

Birds of the Transvaal - Author: Tarboton, Kemp and Kemp - Published: 1987 - Page: 152

Collins Illustrated Checklist - Birds of Southern Africa - 1st edition - Author: Ber van Perlo - Published: 1999 - Page: 44

Birds of Southern Africa - Kruger National Park - Author: Kenneth Newman - Published: 1985 - Page: 138

Bird Atlas of Natal - Author: Digby Cyrus and Nigel Robson - Published: 1980 - Page: 169

A First Guide to South African Birds - 7th Edition - Author: Leonard Gill - Published: 1975 - Page: 104

Animals of the Kruger National Park - Author: G. de Graaff - Published: 1987 - Page: 97

A First Guide to South African Birds - 6th Edition - Author: Leonard Gill - Published: 1959 - Page: 104

A Field Guide to the Birds of Southern Africa - 2nd Edition - Author: O.P.M. Prozesky - Published: 1983 - Page: 182

BirdLife South Africa

---

Top

List of South African Birds