Species profile
About the von der decken’s hornbill
Von der Decken's hornbill is a small dry-country hornbill: white below, black above with white wing patches, and with a striking bill — red with an ivory tip in the male, plain black in the female. It is common in Tarangire's acacia country and across the northern drylands.
It is one half of one of Africa's best-documented mutualisms. Hornbills wait at dwarf mongoose dens each morning for the pack to emerge, then follow it through the day, catching insects the mongooses disturb while sharing predator alarm calls with them. Each species responds to the other's warnings.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
Feeds on the ground and in low branches, often following dwarf mongoose packs. Flies with a distinctive dipping, undulating action.
Social life
Monogamous pairs. The female seals herself into a tree cavity with mud and droppings, leaving a narrow slit through which the male feeds her and the chicks.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
The sealed-nest breeding strategy shared across hornbills, and a genuine two-way alarm-call partnership with dwarf mongooses.
