Kaffir crow.  Horned crows are large birds, the body size of adults is about a meter. Both species lead a terrestrial lifestyle, unlike other rhinos, and. Lifestyle and social behavior

Kaffir horned raven (lat. Bucorvus leadbeateri) is not only a very intelligent and charismatic bird, but it is also a representative of a rare species that is endangered.

The Johannesburg Zoo

Even worse, they start breeding at a fairly mature age (from 8 years old and older), and every nine years they raise only one chick. Typically, a female Kaffir horned crow lays two eggs, but only cares for one chick.

The Johannesburg Zoo

Johannesburg Zoo officials have decided to make a difference by closely monitoring the nests of these extremely vulnerable birds and taking in a second chick to be hand-fed. A prerequisite for such a step is the confirmed fact that the first chick was born healthy.

The chicks are collected in the Kruger National Park and the Association of Private Conservation Areas in Mpumalanga province and transported carefully in special containers to the ornithology department of the Johannesburg Zoo.

The Johannesburg Zoo

Newly hatched chicks are fed every two hours, the rest of the time is spent preparing for feeding, cleaning the nest, and medical examinations. The menu of small predators includes minced meat of mice, rats, chickens and rabbits. This intensive period will last for about a month.

The Johannesburg Zoo

Now all four chicks feel great, and are gradually accustomed to communicating with adult couple kaffir horned ravens living in the zoo. There is hope that when the chickens grow up, they will be returned back to their native forest.

(lat. Bucorvus leadbeateri) - the largest species from the family of hornbills, from the genus of horned crows. It is considered one of the most intelligent and quick-witted birds.
Lives in Eastern and Southern Africa: Southern Kenya, Burundi south of Angola, Northern Namibia, Northern and Eastern Botswana, in the northeast and east of South Africa.

Inhabits savannas and forests up to 3 km above sea level.

Body length reaches 0.9-1.3 m. Wingspan - up to 2 m. Body weight of males - 3.5-6.2 kg, females - 2.2-4.6 kg.


It has black plumage, on a long black beak there is a horny outgrowth, for which it got its name.


(Male).
Males have bare patches of bright red skin around the eyes and on the throat.


(Female).
..in females, against the background of a red throat, in addition, a blue spot stands out. Young birds are brown, their bare skin is grey-brown.
The beak of the horned ravens, although blunt, but its blow is very strong. These birds can easily break wood, concrete structures, etc. In the aviary, only the reinforcement is not touched.

(Kaffir horned crow chick).
It nests in hollow stumps, in depressions among rocks or in hollows of baobabs. The breeding season runs from September to December. The only one of the hornbills, occasionally it can independently dig a hole in the ground for a nest, but more often it uses someone else's abandoned nest. The male brings dry leaves and adds them to the litter, while only the female incubates the eggs, leaving the nest only to put herself in order. Unlike other hornbills, the male does not wall up the female in the nest. The clutch may contain from 1 to 3 eggs, they are laid at intervals of 3-5 days. The female incubates the eggs for 37-43 days, during which time all members of the group feed her. The chicks do not hatch at the same time, and the youngest usually dies of starvation soon, i.e., the strongest survive. It can only survive in years of abundant food. Chicks are fed 4-9 times a day by all members of the group. Interestingly, horned crows do not take out pellets and leftover food from the nest. The chicks fledge at 86 days of age and usually remain in the group until puberty or longer. More often young females leave the group. Horned crows breed very slowly, on average only 1 chick survives in 9-10 years. However, breeding rates can vary between individual groups, with one rearing a chick every 2 years and another not one in 20 years. Reaches sexual maturity at the age of 4-6 years.


Leads a sedentary lifestyle. Lives in small groups (from 2 to 11 individuals), consisting of a dominant pair of adult birds and their offspring, which remain with their parents after reaching puberty. The breeding pair leaves only immature chicks and males with them. And the females, as soon as they become sexually mature, are kicked out. Moreover, as soon as the main male becomes old, the eldest son kicks him out, and takes his place himself. Young crows help their parents feed the chicks and protect the territory.


The largest recorded group consisted of 11 horned ravens. Each group of horned ravens guards its territory, the size of which varies from 2 to 100 square meters. km, patrolling its borders and making loud cries that can be heard for 5 km. At dawn, people often confuse these cries with the roar of lions.


He spends most of his time on the ground, where among the grass and under stones he seeks out his prey: snakes, lizards, rodents, insects (grasshoppers, beetles, scorpions, termites). Respected local residents for destroying poisonous snakes. The only real predator among the hornbills. In the dry season, birds eat a large number of insect larvae, mollusks, frogs, turtles, rodents, sometimes they even get squirrels, young hares and mongooses. Sometimes it eats carrion, feasting on carrion-eating insects at the same time, as well as fruits and seeds.
In the zoo, he receives mainly live mice, as well as meat cut into large pieces, cottage cheese, eggs and vegetables. They feed once a day, but with a margin, so it is not recommended to feed visitors to the zoo!

Birdwatching. Part 2. Hornbills and parrots. Hornbills. Kaffir Horned Raven

This unusual bird, belonging to the rhinoceros bird family, is called the kaffir horned crow or in English the Southern Ground Hornbill.

It is the largest of the hornbills. It lives only in Africa, south of the equator.

Among most tribes in South Africa, the Kaffir Horned Raven is considered a sacred bird, bringing the long-awaited rainy season and conquering drought.

Anticipating the rainy season, horned crows become especially noisy.

Their loud low cry is heard at a distance of up to five kilometers.

African natives get tired of the heat, so these cries seem to them like divine music.

Appearance

The Kaffir horned raven is a fairly large bird measuring between 90 and 120 centimeters long and weighing between 3.2 and 6.2 kilograms.

A distinctive feature of these birds is the black plumage and bright red skin around the eyes and on the front of the neck.

In young birds, these places are colored yellow.

The large beak is also black, the males also have a “helmet”.

Habitat

The Kaffir Horned Raven lives in Southern Kenya, Burundi, southern Angola, northern Namibia, northern and eastern Botswana, and northeast and eastern South Africa.

It nests in hollow stumps or in hollows of baobabs - the nest is not walled up, and the female leaves the nest daily for defecation and grooming.

Mostly birds choose to live in open savannahs with tall grass, overgrown in places with thorny bushes, acacias and baobabs. Less commonly, they settle on the outskirts of tropical and subtropical forests.

Lifestyle

Kaffir horned crows are predominantly diurnal, forming family groups of the main pair and their offspring numbering from 2 to 11 birds.

There is a strict hierarchy in the groups, where the younger ones do their best to show respect for the elders. Grown up chicks try to help their parents raise and feed their younger relatives.

The aged leader is expelled from the pack, and his place of honor goes to the eldest son. Birds adapt well to changing conditions thanks to the knowledge gained from older relatives.

Young females live separately for some time, and then join a new flock.

One family group can occupy an area of ​​up to 100 square meters. km.

Each group of horned ravens guards its territory, constantly flying around its borders and making loud cries.

However, when there is enough food for everyone, the Kaffir horned crows are quite tolerant.

Nutrition

The Kaffir Horned Raven is the only true predator among the hornbills.

These birds feed mainly on various insects: grasshoppers, beetles, scorpions, termites and other arthropods.

During the dry season, birds feed on large numbers of insect larvae, mollusks, frogs, lizards, snakes (often poisonous), turtles, rodents, and sometimes even squirrels, young hares and mongooses.

Throughout the day, horned crows are busy looking for food. They either slowly fly above the ground, or slowly walk among the grass.

They find their food exclusively on the soil.

Quickly grabbing the prey from the ground, they toss it into the air to make it easier to swallow, and kill it with strong blows of the beak.

Horned crows hunt with the whole flock, large prey is often pursued together. They are the only ones of all hornbills that can pick up several food objects in their beak, without swallowing them, carry them to the nest.

Sometimes they eat carrion, feasting on carrion-eating insects at the same time.

They also eat fruits and seeds.

Lifestyle

Kaffir crows build nests in baobab hollows or tree stumps.

The whole family takes part in the construction. The younger ones collect the necessary building material from dry grass and branches, while the more experienced ones are directly involved in the construction itself.

reproduction

The mating season lasts from October to December and takes place once every three years.

The whole family takes care of the food of the female.

The female usually lays 2 white eggs. Incubation lasts an average of 40 days, during which time the female briefly leaves the nest no more than 3-4 times a day, being on full social security.

The first chick is born weighing about 60 grams, while from birth it has an excellent appetite, so after 4 days it weighs more than 240 grams.

At this time, his younger brother appears, whom the older brother simply either kills or leaves without food, so that the weaker chick very rarely manages to survive.

The group feeds newborns up to 10 times a day. At the age of 85 days, the chicks fledge, but loving relatives continue to take care of them for several more months.

You should immediately pay attention to the fact that the name of these unusual birds incorrectly conveys their true systematic position, since they are not relatives of real ravens, ravens, rooks and jackdaws, and belong to a completely different family.

Horned crows (lat. Bucorvus) are a genus of African hornbills, leading, unlike most other representatives of this group, a terrestrial lifestyle. Sometimes they, together with the African kalaos, are separated into a separate family Bucorvidae as part of the order Bucerotiformes, separating it from the Coraciiformes. This family is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa: the Abyssinian horned raven is distributed along the meridional direction from Senegal east to Ethiopia, and the Kaffir horned raven is found in southern and eastern Africa.

Horned crows are large birds, the body size of adults is about a meter. Both species are terrestrial, unlike other rhinos, and feed on insects, snakes, other birds, amphibians, and even turtles. They are among the longest-lived birds, and the larger southern species, the Kaffir Horned Raven, is perhaps the longest-lived and slowest-reproducing (breeding once every three years) of the Aves class.
Only two species belong to this genus - the Abyssinian (or northern) horned raven and the Kaffir (or southern). The Abyssinian occupies savannahs and woodlands from Senegal to Western Somalia and Kenya, and the distribution area of ​​​​the Kaffir horned crow is the African savannah south of the equator, where it inhabits open spaces with sparse shrubs from Kenya to South Africa. In the mountains of Ethiopia and East Africa, these birds rise to a height of up to 3000 meters above sea level. In general, their habitat covers the entire continent south of the Sahara, with the exception of the zone of equatorial tropical forests and deserts.

Horned crows are large and heavy members of the entire hornbill family. Their length from the tip of the beak to the tip of the tail ranges from 90 to 130 cm with a wingspan of almost two meters and a surprisingly low weight of 3.5 to 6 kg (the Kaffir is the larger crow). A relatively small weight with such an impressive size is due to the lightness of the skeleton and numerous subcutaneous air cavities. The bulky beak with a horn (more precisely, a helmet) is also hollow and partially filled with spongy bone tissue with thin bridges.
Birds differ from other members of the family in black plumage and bright red areas of bare skin on the head around the eyes and upper neck (in young birds these areas are yellow). The "mourning" black plumage of horned ravens is enlivened by white primary flight feathers, which do not stand out too much on folded wings, but in a flying bird they are noticeable from afar.

Species and gender are determined by the color of the non-feathered parts of the head and neck. The female Kaffir horned crow has swollen and folded skin around the eyes and on the front of the neck is brilliant red, and on the sides of the throat is blue. The male has only red color, without blue spots.

They spend most of their time on the ground, walking slowly across the savannah and gathering food, but they can also run quite well. In this regard, they have a relatively short tail and long strong legs with shortened toes. In order not to damage the eyes on the tough grass, which moves its head apart in search of food, the bird has luxurious long black eyelashes, which at the same time look spectacular against the background of a vast circle of bare bright red skin.

The female Abyssinian horned raven has bare areas of only blue color, while the male is blue-red. The beak is black, straight, has a specific outgrowth - a helmet, which is more developed in males. The "helmet" of the northern species is quite high and seems to be chopped off in front, and on the sides of the black beak it stands out along a yellowish spot. The southern one has a small helmet (in females it can be almost not expressed), and the beak is one-color.

They are real predators among hornbills. Horned crows hunt in small groups, and large prey is often pursued together. Their diet includes not only a variety of insects (grasshoppers, beetles, scorpions, termites) and their larvae, but also more serious prey, in the form of various vertebrates - frogs, lizards, snakes (often poisonous), turtles, rodents. Sometimes even squirrels, young hares and mongooses are caught. These birds are able to eat almost any medium-sized one that they can catch.

From early morning they methodically comb one grassy area after another in search of prey. Keeping a distance within sight, the birds go in parallel courses, scaring small animals from the grass, examining voids under stones and deadwood. The morning hours are not chosen by chance - reptiles, amphibians and arthropods that have not had time to warm up in the sun still move extremely sluggishly. Quickly grabbing prey from the ground with the tip of their beak, like with tweezers, and then crushing it with their jaws or hitting the ground several times, they throw it into the air to make it easier to swallow. Larger prey is preliminarily killed by strong blows of the beak or paws. A large snake or a lively rat force clan members to use joint action tactics - the victim is surrounded, and then exhausted with attacks. Sometimes some members of the family play the role of beaters on foot, while others, having flown forward, meet the fugitive with a sudden attack. During the period of abundance of food, the birds chop the excess on knots or leave it in the forks of branches, like some kind of shrikes. Sometimes they eat carrion, feasting on carrion-eaters at the same time, they also eat fruits and seeds. These are the only birds of all hornbills that can pick up several food objects in their beaks and, without swallowing, carry them to the nest.

The social organization of ravens is very unusual. Horned crows are sedentary, occupying vast territories from 5-10 to 200 km2. They live in small groups (from 2 to 11 individuals), consisting of a dominant pair of adult birds and their offspring, remaining with their parents after reaching puberty. The "first violin" in the family is played by the female, the rest, including the spouse, obey her whims. Young crows help their parents feed the chicks and protect the territory. In the evening, the birds cry all together for a long time, thereby asserting their rights to the territory. Sitting higher, horned crows hoot low, emit trumpet, croak and roaring cries that are heard at a distance of 4-5 km, for which the native tribes call them thunder birds. Birds use inflating throat sacs and a distensible esophagus as resonators. In addition to screams, horned ravens have more sophisticated ways to attract attention to themselves. For example, carefully holding an egg in its huge beak, a bird from a dominant pair manipulates it in front of the rest of the group.

They nest in hollow stumps, in hollows of large trees (baobabs), sometimes in rock crevices. One shelter can serve the birds for many years, but, as a rule, suitable places at different ends of the site are used alternately. The nest, unlike other members of the family, is not walled up, and the female leaves it daily to defecate and take care of herself.
The timing of reproduction is not too dependent on the time of year, but more often occurs during the rainy season (from September to December). Only one dominant female takes part in nesting, the other members of the group only help her. A clutch of 1-3 white, surprisingly small (compared to the size of the mother) eggs is incubated for 5-6 weeks by the female, which at this time is fed by all members of the group. As a rule, chicks hatch with a difference of 3-5, sometimes up to 15 days. They are nesting type, i.e. naked, blind, absolutely helpless. At the age of several days, the younger chick usually dies, and the older one, 7-10 days after hatching, begins to be covered with dark downy feathers (neither chicks nor adult hornbills have real down). Adult plumage in horned ravens appears at the age of 3 months. When the chicks grow up, the breeding pair leaves only males in the group, and the females, when they become sexually mature (at the age of 4-6 years), are kicked out. Moreover, as soon as the main male becomes old, the eldest son kicks him out and takes his place himself.

The increase in the number of birds of this species occurs very slowly, on average, only one chick survives to adulthood in 9-10 years. The life expectancy of these birds is 35 - 40 years.

As observations of this species in the natural environment and in zoos around the world show, the behavior of birds is complex and varied. The specialists of the Moscow Zoo note that the birds are constantly looking for different objects in the aviary, having found them, show them to each other, and begin to treat each other with them. If one finds a bright stone, he immediately runs and shows it to another. When given a piece of watering hose to play with, the crows decide on which side this "snake" will have its head. As soon as they determine it, they begin to “kill” it, aiming precisely at the place they have determined.
In many distribution areas, the species is protected by the local population due to traditional beliefs associated with the intelligent behavior of the species.

Interesting: The horned raven has a look very similar to that of a person. Above and below the eyes there are eyelashes that any girl would envy: long, thick, black. These birds are not afraid of a person and easily approach him and look straight into his eyes.

The Abyssinian Horned Raven, along with another member of the Bucorvus genus, the Kaffir Horned Raven (Bucorvus leadbeateri), differs from other hornbills in having an additional cervical vertebra(there are 15 in total), the presence of both carotid arteries, longer legs and larger body sizes. The body is strong, with short wings and tail. The beak is rather large, slightly bent, laterally flattened, with a blunt end, with beak halves not closing in the middle and decorated with only one, although rather high growth above the base of the upper beak half. The outgrowth starts from the middle of the crown and extends approximately to the first third of the entire length of the beak; in front it is either open, continuing further in the form of a tube, or closed.

The eyes and throat area are bare and very brightly colored. The plumage is brilliant black, with the exception of ten yellowish-white flight feathers. The eyes are dark brown. The beak is black, with a yellowish spot on the upper half. Males have blue and red skin around the throat and blue around the eyes, females have blue skin around the eyes and neck.

The average body length is about 1 m, weight - 4 kg. Wingspan from 495 to 595 mm.

Abyssinian horned ravens are primarily terrestrial, taking to the air to capture prey or defend territory. They walk well and are able to run. They perch in trees at night, probably to avoid predation.

They live in permanent family groups, consisting of 4-8 individuals (occasionally up to 11-20). Each group consists of a breeding pair and its offspring of different ages, which act as nesting helpers. The habitat area of ​​the group ranges from 2-4 to 260 km².

Communication occurs through visual and acoustic interactions.

Abyssinian horned crows are predominantly carnivorous. They feed on a variety of reptiles, including African vipers (Bitis), cobras (Naja), turtles and lizards, mammals such as hares and mongooses, as well as arthropods - insects and spiders. Sometimes they eat carrion. In search of food, they may follow ungulates and fires; up to 11 km per day. For the extraction of arthropods and honeycombs, they are able to dig the ground. They rarely eat plant foods.

Abyssinian horned crows resemble secretary birds (Sagittarius serpentarius) in foraging, killing their prey with a few strokes of their paws or beak; smaller objects crows just grab. They themselves, in turn, can become the prey of large predators such as leopards, while eggs and chicks are the food of smaller predators.

Abyssinian horned crows are monogamous. The breeding season depends on the area of ​​​​the range: in West Africa it occurs in June-August, in Nigeria and Uganda - in January, in Kenya - at the end of November. The nest is built in large hollow trees (mainly baobabs) or in rock crevices. Birds do not cover the entrance to the hollow. The males prepare the nest by lining it with dry leaves, and then the female enters it and lays one or two eggs over a period of about five days. The eggs are round, white, small in size, with a rough shell. The incubation period starts with the first egg, so the second chick grows more slowly and usually does not survive. Incubation lasts 37-41 days, during which the males bring food to the incubating female; during this period, the birds do not clean the nest.

Newborn chicks weigh about 70 g. The firstborn grows very quickly, and by the fourth day its weight can reach 350 g, while the youngest chick usually dies by this time. The whole family feeds the chick, flying over long distances and combing considerable distances on foot within sight of each other. In cases of hunting for large prey, birds come to each other's aid. The chick remains in the hollow for up to 3 months, supplementary feeding continues for another 8-9 months. It fledges by about the 85th day of life.

Young individuals remain with their parents until the age of three, although their sex can be visually determined by coloration already at the age of one year.

Life expectancy in captivity averages 40 years.

The Abyssinian horned raven is distributed in a wide zone of north-central Africa, from southern Mauritania and Guinea in the west to Ethiopia, northwestern Somalia, northeastern Kenya and northern Uganda in the east. Inhabits savannahs, semi-desert shrub biotopes and rocky areas, preferring low vegetation that facilitates feeding. Crows are tolerant of human disturbed areas, but require large trees for nesting.

The total population size is unknown, but is considered stable due to lack of evidence of decline or any threat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the Abyssinian horned raven as Least Concern. These birds are able to break windows, looking at the reflection, for which they are sometimes persecuted by humans. In some parts of the range, such as northern Cameroon and Burkina Faso, crow meat is eaten by humans.

The first chick of the Kaffir horned crow hatched in the Moscow Zoo

The chick of the Kaffir horned raven was born for the first time in the Moscow Zoo. The chick's parents have been living in the zoo for 20 years, but so far they have not had chicks. Since these birds are very sensitive to disturbance, the long-awaited egg was taken to the incubator.

The chick hatched in March and was raised by the zoo staff. Now he is completely independent, eats adult food, but still lives separately from his parents.

Kaffir Horned Raven- the largest species of the hornbill family. Their length reaches 90-129 cm, adult birds have black plumage and bright red patches of skin on the head and neck, in females a dark spot stands out against the background of a red throat. Juveniles are brown, with gray-brown areas of bare skin. Horned crows reach sexual maturity at the age of 4-6 years and only by this time acquire adult coloration, so the sex of the chick is still unknown.

These birds live in the African savanna, south of the equator. The species is included in the International Red Book and has the status of vulnerable. In many areas, it is protected by the local population due to traditional beliefs.

Horned crows have an unusual social organization, live in small groups (up to 11 individuals), consisting of a dominant pair of adult birds and their offspring, remaining with their parents after reaching puberty. Young crows help their parents feed the chicks and protect the territory. The breeding pair leaves only immature chicks and males with them. And the females, as soon as they become sexually mature, are kicked out. As soon as the main male becomes old, the eldest son takes his place.

Horned crows are predators, feed on invertebrates, and other medium-sized animals - amphibians, reptiles, rodents. Most of the time they spend on the ground, hunting, slowly walking around the savannah, often the whole group lines up in a chain and combs the territory in search of food, large prey is often pursued together.

It looks like an adult Kaffir horned raven

Horned crows breed very slowly, on average only 1 chick survives in 9-10 years. Bird behavior is complex, varied and intelligent. At the zoo, they know their keepers very well. Birds are constantly looking for different objects in the aviary, having found them, show them to each other, and begin to treat them. If one finds a bright stone, he immediately runs and shows it to another.

They are fed twice a day. In the morning - mice and quails, which employees hide throughout the enclosure - in hollows, under stones, between branches, so that the crows are busy looking for food. At lunch - or insects that are laid in plastic bottle, or nuts. They are also given a mash in the form of balls of meat, cottage cheese, rice, eggs and vegetables.

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