In our latest Week in Video we featured a sequence of a small family of Southern Ground Hornbills foraging on a rainy day.
We spent about 45 minutes with the three birds, observing – or at least trying to observe – what they fed on. Often the food items were engulfed too quickly for us to be able to ID them with any pretence of accuracy, but when examining the photos after the sighting, it was fascinating to see the variety of things consumed.
Have a look:
To be honest, I’ve no idea what this was. It looked fairly slimy, so my best guess is it was a squashed Giant Land Snail, but I may well be wide of the mark. The blue on the throat of the bird with the food in its beak identifies her as a female.
This was a dung beetle, or at least a scarab beetle of some kind. A lot of smaller creatures come out after the rain, so it’s a perfect time for Ground Hornbills to be on the hunt.
Another unconfirmed prey item, but it looks like it has 6 legs splayed wide as it disappears down the hornbill’s gullet, which makes it an insect. It’s some kind of large cricket or maybe even a longhorn beetle.
This was a hairy caterpillar; fairly easy to ID
A Bushveld Rain Frog, identifiable by its round shape. We saw a couple of these get eaten on this morning.
And the main item; a puff-adder. Ground hornbills are well known to catch snakes, but this was the first time I had seen them catch one as nasty as this. What was interesting is that straight after this bird caught it (he was a male) he gave it to a female. She came running in to grab it, and it may well have been some kind of courtship offering.
The best part of this sighting was not just seeing how many different creatures the hornbills incorporated into their diet, but rather the affirmation of how valuable it is spending time with things. Only though this measured approach can you truly gain a better understanding of how the animals out here go about their lives, be they elephant, lion or ground hornbill…
Wow this is interesting. Amazing what the birds can eat.
Great pictures of the Ground horn bills.It’s amazing that the birds can eat such poisonous snakes.
It looks like the “food” is suspended mid-air as the hornbills are about to swallow.
Quite a bird! Amazing photos to capture the varied diet. In all my married years my mate has never offered me a puff adder to eat!!!
James, I saved the horbill
James, I saved the horbill🤗
Gracious, a very varied assortment of insects, and a snake?! Glad I was not invited for dinner, but obviously lots of delicacies for the Horn Bills. Victoria
A regular Bushveld Buffet!
Great blog, it isn’t always about the big 5 – I think all Hornbills are amazing
The Ground Hornbills appear to have an abundance of food after the rains all “live” and plucked cleanly and swallowed by the Hornbills. Do these Ground Hornbills feed on Carrion or dead beetles and dead reptiles ??
What a great sighting! Is it unusual to see the Southern Ground Hornbill on Londolozi? What made this the Catholic Diet? Did they end up going to church after they ate? “)
You are so on target James. It’s not about how many animals, birds, crocs, etc one sees during a safari, but to take time to really be in the moment.
Thank you so much for these very interesting pics. So glad I am not a female Southern Ground Hornbill. If Neil had thrown me a Puff Adder as a courtship gift, I would have hit him with whatever came to hand! We are all SO different in ways. Would much prefer Dark Chocolates with nutty fillings! Wendy M
James, your knowledge of birds is astounding! You should have a degree in Ornithology!!! Fascinating post. Wishing you and all there in that magical place a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.
Really awesome photos James
An interesting blog James. I thought puff adders were venomous? I guess Mother Nature protects various wildlife from these things. The Southern Ground Hornbills are a very pretty bird. Thanks for sharing with us. Be well and stay safe.
James, Looks like you were having fun with your camera too – trying to get the perfect shot of the prey!
Agree on time…my best memories are when I slow down and sink into the experience with nature.
So very interesting! I agree wholeheartedly that you must take the time to really watch a bird or an animal to learn about them. If it is just a quick photo you want, you will never truly know the bird or animal.
Awesome images, James. Your take on their catholic diet is fascinating. They are opportunists, for sure!
Wowzers, watching the video of them eating all those different things was crazy, and I thought the one bird stole the snake from the other at first!
Great detective work James! These are truest remarkable birds and I’ve been enjoying the various and regular posts about them!
Many of the pictures in this series are excellent.
I tried to view the full size version but most links do not work.
Nevertheless, great work all around. Thank you very much for posting these wonderful pictures.