 left|thumb| t. rufirostris the red-billed hornbills are a group of hornbills found in savanna and woodland of sub-saharan africa. they are now usually split into five species, the northern red-billed hornbill (t. erythrorhynchus), western red-billed hornbill (t. kempi), tanzanian red-billed hornbill (t. ruahae), southern red-billed hornbill (t. rufirostris) and damara red-billed hornbill (t. damarensis), but some authorities considered them all to be subspecies of a single species. left|thumb|the northern red-billed hornbill has a black stripe on the back of its head, reddish ocular skin and dark eyes.  thumb|left|t. kempi is the only species with both dark eyes and blackish ocular skin right|thumb|upright|at a nest in gambia ==description== this group of conspicuous birds have mainly whitish underparts and head, grey upperparts, long tails, and a long and curved red bill which lacks a casque. the sexes are similar, but the female has a smaller bill. they are generally large, at  long, but the entire group are considered some of the smaller hornbills. ==behaviour== ===breeding=== during incubation, the female lays three to six white eggs in a tree hole, which is blocked off with a plaster of mud, droppings and fruit pulp. there is only one narrow aperture, just big enough for the male to transfer food to the mother and the chicks. when the chicks and the female are too big for the nest, the mother breaks out and rebuilds the wall. then both parents feed the chicks. ===feeding=== they are omnivorous, taking insects, fruit and seeds. they feed mainly on the ground and will form flocks outside the breeding season. ==in popular culture== zazu, a character in the lion king animated film series, is a red-billed hornbill. ==references== *  database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern * birds of the gambia by barlow, wacher and disley, isbn 1-873403-32-1 ==external links== {{commons category|
Birds_of_Africa Birds_of_Cameroon Birds_of_Kenya Tockus