Species profile
About the ruaha red-billed hornbill
The Ruaha red-billed hornbill was recognised as a distinct species only in 2000, split from the widespread red-billed hornbill on the basis of its pale, almost white eye and the pale bare skin around it — dark in its relatives. Its world range is centred on the Ruaha and Great Ruaha valley in central Tanzania.
For visiting birders it is one of the country's most compelling endemics precisely because it is so restricted: a common bird within Ruaha National Park and hardly findable anywhere else on earth.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
Forages mainly on the ground for insects and seeds, flying up to a branch when disturbed with the characteristic dipping hornbill flight.
Social life
Monogamous pairs; the female seals herself into a nest cavity and is fed by the male through a narrow slit until the chicks are grown.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
Described as a separate species only in 2000, and identified in the field by its pale eye and pale bare orbital skin.