Crowned Hornbill: Moth-catching Menace

Crowned Hornbill

A bird species I saw daily while in South Africa was the beautiful Crowned Hornbill. This hornbill species is not very secretive and it’s loud, hawk-like call makes you very aware of it’s presence even if you cant always see it. The Crowned Hornbill is a large bird that frequently moves around the forest canopy in groups searching for insects, reptiles, rodents, seeds, and fruits. I most often saw them hawking moths out of the sky. One day, I was able to cature this hunting method with my camera, and thought I would share it with you……

Crowned Hornbill with a moth in its sights

Closing in....

Showing off its catch to me

Crowned Hornbill with its mothy meal!