Grey Hornbill

It belongs to the hornbill family and is part of the genus of tokos. The grey toko is also known as the white-crested toko and has strong similarities to the red-billed toko.

Habitat

Its habitat extends over a large territory in western, eastern and southern Africa, from the southern Sahel zone through Angola, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, Senegal, Ethiopia, Eritrea to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The grey toko prefers open forests, scrubland and semi-open savannas. It also inhabits plains and hilly mountainous regions over 1,500 meters above sea level.

Appearance

The grey toko is a medium-sized bird that can reach a body length of 45 - 48 cm and a weight of 190 - 230 grams. Its most striking feature is the curved beak, which also shows the difference between males and females. In males, the upper beak is black and the lower beak shows a narrow yellowish to whitish stripe.

In females, the lower beak is black and the upper beak has a velvety, horn-like, yellowish structure. The coloration of the lower and upper beak turns into a vibrant red towards the tip of the beak. Another special feature is the long tail with its whitish-tinged tail tip.

Diet

The grey toko is a diurnal bird that spends its nighttime rest in so-called roosting trees, in a small group of birds of its kind. It lives in pairs in small families. The grey toko is a good flier. It is rarely found on the ground. It inhabits the treetops, where it also finds its food, such as insects, spiders, small reptiles, fruits and seeds. It gives birth to its young in tree hollows. The female lays two to four eggs and seals its cavity during incubation with mud, dung and fruit pulp.