Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill

Bucorvus abyssinicus

Northern Africa's ground-stalking giant. Males sport blue eye-skin and a red throat wattle; females are all blue-faced.

Population: No global count available; IUCN/BirdLife state the global population size "has not been quantified" but the species is described as widespread and common but sparse, with a suspected decline of 30–49% over three generations
Habitat: Open savanna, sub-desert scrub, grassland, and rocky country with short vegetation; also riparian woodland; occurs from sea level up to ~3,257 m elevation; increasingly restricted to protected areas
Fun fact: The Abyssinian ground hornbill has long, dark, lash-like feathers fringing its eyes that resemble eyelashes and help shade/protect the eyes while it forages on foot across open savanna.
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa across the Sahel/savanna belt north of the equator, from Mauritania and Senegal east through West Africa to Eritrea, Ethiopia, northwestern Somalia, northwestern Kenya, and Uganda
Diet: Primarily carnivorous ground forager: tortoises, lizards, snakes, small mammals, birds, and invertebrates (beetles, caterpillars, spiders); also takes carrion and, rarely, fruit/seeds/groundnuts
Size: 1 m
Lifespan: 40 years

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