@qiyuisms: how could you not adore him? (edited to add some information/answer some questions below) this is whiner!! he’s a 41 year old southern ground hornbill! these guys are the largest hornbill species in the world and one of two species in the ground hornbill family. native to sub-saharan africa, these birds live and forage largely on the ground in very hot and dry climates like savannas, and those stunning eyelashes help protect their eyes from dust and debris as well as filter light. these guys are able to move their eyes independently of each other! this is called non-conjugate vision, and means they can focus on multiple points at once. this helps them in detecting prey and scanning their environment. southern ground hornbills have smaller social groupings, often comprised of a breeding pair and their offspring, as well as massive territories that can range up to 100 square kilometers! they defend their territories fiercely and establish them by vocalizing and bill striking. their bills are incredibly strong, able to shatter windows and crack open tortoise shells with ease. they also have notches along the sides to help them grasp and tear apart prey, and the tips can even be used like fingers to gently grab things like insects and fruit. male and female southern ground hornbills can be differentiated by the navy skin under their heads on their air sac. while females have a large solid patch of it, males either have none, or like whiner, some smaller speckles of it. hornbills will inflate this air sac and then rapidly release the air to vocalize, creating a deep booming call that can be heard for miles. if you’d like to learn more about these amazing birds please check out the san diego wild life alliance library!! https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/southern_groundhornbill/summary #southerngroundhornbill #birds

olivia !!

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Tuesday 20 May 2025 03:29:15 GMT