Ground-hornbill
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| Ground-hornbill | ||||||||||||||
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 Southern Ground Hornbill
(Bucorvus leadbeateri) |
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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[citation needed]. Some ornithologists consider the hornbills a distinct order Bucerotiformes and raise the Ground-hornbills to family level (Bucorvidae) on account of their distinctness.
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