GROUND-HORNBILL

The 'Ground-hornbills' (Bucorvinae) are a subfamily of the hornbill family Bucerotidae, with a single genus ''Bucorvus'' and two extant species:

★ Abyssinian Ground-hornbill ''Bucorvus abyssinicus'' (also known as Northern Ground-hornbill)

★ Southern Ground-hornbill ''Bucorvus leadbeateri''
The subfamily is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa - Abyssinian Ground-hornbill being found in a belt from Senegal east to Ethiopia, with Southern Ground-hornbill occurring in the south and east of the continent.
A prehistoric ground-hornbill, ''Bucorvus brailloni'', has been described from fossil bones.
Ground hornbills are large, with adults around a metre tall. Both species are ground-dwelling, unlike other hornbills. They can be very long-lived. Some ornithologists consider the hornbills a distinct order Bucerotiformes and raise the Ground-hornbills to family level ('Bucorvidae') on account of their distinctness.