Ground hornbill
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| Ground hornbill | |
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| Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Coraciiformes |
| Family: | Bucerotidae |
| Subfamily: | Bucorvinae |
| Genus: | Bucorvus Lesson, 1830 |
| Species | |
The ground hornbills (Bucorvinae) are a subfamily of the hornbill family Bucerotidae, with a single genus Bucorvus and two extant species.
The subfamily is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa - Abyssinian Ground Hornbill being found in a belt from Senegal east to Ethiopia, with Southern Ground Hornbill occurring in the south and east of the continent.
Ground hornbills are large, with adults around a metre tall. Both species are ground-dwelling, unlike other hornbills. They can be very long-lived[citation needed].
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[edit] Taxonomy
Some ornithologists consider the hornbills a distinct order Bucerotiformes and raise the Ground-hornbills to family level (Bucorvidae) on account of their distinctness. The genus Bucorvus contains two extant species:
- Abyssinian Ground Hornbill Bucorvus abyssinicus (also known as Northern Ground Hornbill)
- Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri
A prehistoric ground hornbill, Bucorvus brailloni, has been described from fossil bones.[citation needed] http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ground_hornbill&action=edit§ion=1# [1]
[edit] Gallery
[edit] References
- ^ Kemp, A. C. 1995 The Hornbills. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
[edit] External links
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