The Comparative Breeding Biology of the African Hornbills (Bucerotidre). East African Agricultural Research Station, Amani.

Abstract

Bannerman (2) recently summarized the nesting habits of the African hornbills as follows :-" The female lays her eggs in a hollow in a tree, the male (apparently) closing up the entrance with a hard substance and leaving only a small slit through which the female can pass her bill to receive the fruits he brings her. .. While incubating the eggs the female goes through a complete moult, shedding the feathers of the wings and tail. .. Probably all the species have similar breeding habits with the possible exception of Bucorvus (the Ground Hornbill), but we require much more information before we can write with authority of their individual characteristics." Bannerman was indeed able to add nothing to the particulars given some years previously by Chapin (6), who collated more information on the subject than any other worker, but himself described it as " fragmentary."