Hornbills (Bucerotidae)

Red-billed Hornbill (Tockus erythrorhynchus) - HBW 6, p. 495

French: Calao à bec rouge German: Rotschnabeltoko Spanish: Toco Piquirrojo
Other common names: African Red-billed Hornbill; South African Red-billed Hornbill (rufirostris); Damaraland Red-billed Hornbill (damarensis)

Taxonomy: Buceros erythrorhynchus Temminck, 1823, Podor, Senegal.
Closest to T. monteiri, but also close to T. leucomelas, T. flavirostris and T. deckeni, based on similar calls and behaviour, and DNA studies. Races rufirostris and damarensis may be two separate species. Population from S Mozambique to Natal described as race degens on basis of smaller size, but differences slight; birds of N Botswana (Ngamiland) formerly separated as race ngamiensis. Yellow-eyed birds from Tanzania, with black circumorbital skin, may represent as yet undescribed race, as also may birds in N Kenya; further study needed.. View all taxonomy...

Taxonomy: Buceros erythrorhynchus Temminck,1823. Podor, Senegal.
Closest to T. monteiri, but also close to T. leucomelas, T. flavirostris and T. deckeni, based on similar calls and behaviour, and DNA studies. Races rufirostris and damarensis may be two separate species. Population from S Mozambique to Natal described as race degens on basis of smaller size, but differences slight; birds of N Botswana (Ngamiland) formerly separated as race ngamiensis. Yellow-eyed birds from Tanzania, with black circumorbital skin, may represent as yet undescribed race, as also may birds in N Kenya; further study needed. Four subspecies currently recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

kempi Tréca & Érard, 2000 - S Mauritania and Senegambia E to Inner Niger Delta.
erythrorhynchus (Temminck, 1823) - Inner Niger Delta E to Ethiopia and Somalia, S to Tanzania.
rufirostris (Sundevall, 1851) - S Angola and N Namibia E to Zambia and S Malawi and S to NE South Africa.
damarensis (Shelley, 1888) - NW & C Namibia.