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Northern Red-billed Hornbill
Tockus erythrorhynchus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderBucerotiformes (Hornbills and Hoopoes)
- FamilyBucerotidae (Hornbills)
- GenusTockus (Red-billed and Yellow-billed Hornbills)
- SpeciesTockus erythrorhynchus (Northern Red-billed Hornbill)
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
128 Verified sightings at Meru National Park From 2019 to 2026
4,662 In all 12 parks
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Northern Red-billed Hornbill
The northern red-billed hornbill (Tockus erythrorhynchus) is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found from southern Mauritania through Somalia and northeast Tanzania. There are five species of red-billed hornbills recognized, but all five were once considered conspecific and some authorities still classify the others as subspecies of Tockus erythrorhynchus.
(Southern) Red-billed hornbill – Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Northern Red-billed Hornbill in Meru National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 5 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 8 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 9 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 11 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 12 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maiduguri | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 2 | Ouagadougou | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | |
| 3 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
Closest Relatives at Meru National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Northern Red-billed Hornbill in Meru National Park?
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Red-billed Hornbill sighting in Meru National Park on a given day, based on 128 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Northern Red-billed Hornbill in Meru National Park?
April and October
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Red-billed Hornbill in Meru National Park on a given day, against about 40% in September and November, the lowest months. Those are among Meru National Park's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain a month against almost none in July. May and July–August have too few records to rate.
What time of day is best to see a Northern Red-billed Hornbill?
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Red-billed Hornbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Meru National Park the best place to see a Northern Red-billed Hornbill?
5th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Northern Red-billed Hornbill sightings, Meru National Park ranks 5th at about 60%. The best odds are in Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, about 80%), Tarangire National Park (Tanzania, about 80%) and Tsavo East National Park (Kenya, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Which relatives of the Northern Red-billed Hornbill live in Meru National Park?
Same genus: Tockus
The closest relatives of the Northern Red-billed Hornbill that you can see in Meru National Park (genus Tockus, Red-billed and Yellow-billed Hornbills) are Von der Decken's Hornbill (about 50%) and Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Northern Red-billed Hornbill sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Red-billed Hornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Meru National Park (128 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
