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The Southern yellow-billed hornbill (Tockus leucomelas) is a bird found in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Dry bush and savanna in southern Africa. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, small mammals and birds and fruit. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

🏡 Where the Southern yellow-billed hornbill lives

Dry bush and savanna in southern Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

• 🐛 Insects & bugs80%
• 🐭 Mammals & birds10%
• 🍎 Fruit10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

Hear the Southern yellow-billed hornbill

Recorded by Richard White (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1023577. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Southern yellow-billed hornbill

Where does the Southern yellow-billed hornbill live?

The Southern yellow-billed hornbill lives in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Dry bush and savanna in southern Africa.

What does the Southern yellow-billed hornbill eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 80%), small mammals and birds (about 10%), fruit (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Southern yellow-billed hornbill endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

• Madagascar serpent eagle
• Aldabra fody
• Madagascan fish eagle
• Archer's lark
• Rudd's lark
• Humblot's flycatcher

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.