SUPER SURPRISE
THURSDAY# 14
For all our bird loving friends we have an extra bird for you this week on Super Surprise Thursday! This bird is one of our favorites! They are funny birds who spend most of their time on the ground looking for food! Are you ready to meet them…
MEET THE SOUTHERN GROUND HORNBILL!
Range/Habitat: Southern Africa/ savannas
Diet: Omnivore: rodents, lizards, plants
Height/Weight: 30-40”/ 7 ½-10lbs
Conservation Status: Common
Fun Facts:
- Southern Ground Hornbills are the largest of all hornbills.
- They feed mostly on the ground but can fly.
- Southern ground hornbills are known to collect multiple food items in their bills and lay them on the ground and eat them one by one.
- They have black feathers with red faces. Females have bright blue wattles and males have red wattles.
- Southern ground hornbills have long life spans, up to 40 years.
- Southern ground hornbills live in small groups.
These beautiful birds are really neat! We met a pair at Zoo Atlanta named Zazu and Gumby. They are so fun to watch! They like to show off their food to guests!