The African Ground Hornbill, Bucorvus leadbeateri. Hornbills are know for their giant bills, large enough in relation to body size that they typically have two of their neck vertebrae fused to support the extra weight in the head.

Hornbills fall into two different families, the Bucerotidae (most of the hornbills) and Bucorvidae (the ground hornbills, of which there are two species, both African). Many of the regular hornbills eat a lot of fruit, and can use their large beaks process some tough material. Most hornbills, though, also eat a fair quantity of meat (mostly inverts). The ground hornbills are mainly carnivorous, eating rodents, lizards, large insects, and so on.

The two families of hornbills are members of the same family that includes kingfishers, hoopoes, todies and rollers. The latter three may be unfamiliar to American birders, but you will know what a kingfisher looks like (they have large beaks as well!). There are some questions regarding the structure of this clade, so stay tuned.