Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill

Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill

Tockus ruahae

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
at Ruaha National Park

In 3 days >90%

214 Verified sightings at Ruaha National Park From 2019 to 2026
570 In all 4 parks
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill

The Tanzanian red-billed hornbill (Tockus ruahae) is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in central Tanzania and was discovered by Robert Glen and Sue Stolberger in Ruaha National Park All five red-billed hornbills were formerly considered conspecific.

Tanzanian red-billed hornbills (Tockus ruahae) are small hornbills in the group of the red-billed hornbills. They have curved, bright red bills that end in a small dot of dark orange. Their sclera can vary from light orange to dark yellow and their pupils are usually dark black. Like most species of hornbills, they support medium-sized circles of black skin around their eyes, both in females and males. They have greyish-white necks and bellies and their wings, like all red billed hornbills, have large and small spots of white surrounded by black feathers. Their tail feathers are long and black on the exterior and white on the interior.

Tanzanian red-billed hornbills can be found in central Tanzania. They are usually found resting or nesting in trees in forests or savannahs where their food is plentiful. Kemp, A.C. and W. Delport. 2002. Comments... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:47

Tanzania · 2024

© Barry Edmonston · XC899405 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:15

Tanzania · 2018

© Stein Ø. Nilsen · XC460480 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:26

Tanzania · 2017

© Frank Lambert · XC429738 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~70%
2 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
3 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
4 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill in Ruaha National Park?

Very likely

About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill sighting in Ruaha National Park on a given day, based on 214 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 276 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill in Ruaha National Park?

February–March and October–November

In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill in Ruaha National Park on a given day, against about 60% in January and April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill?

Between 5 and 8 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Ruaha National Park the best place to see a Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill?

Yes

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill sightings, Ruaha National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Serengeti National Park (Tanzania, about 10%) and Lake Manyara National Park (Tanzania, under 5%).

Where does the Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Ruaha National Park (214 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.

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