Whilst birding the bottom of the Raydah
Escarpment I saw up to ten African Grey Hornbills Tockus nasutus together.
This is the largest group I have recorded in Saudi Arabia. They only occur at
the bottom of the Raydah Escarpment and are not seen higher up. The birds were
located in the large wadi system at the bottom of the escarpment where large
trees grow from the bottom of the mainly boulder strewn wadi. The African Grey
Hornbill is a small member of the hornbill family being only 45 centimetres
long. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of Sub-Saharan
Africa and into Arabia, where numbers are much less common. In Saudi Arabia,
birds can be seen in the southwest of the Kingdom where they are uncommon. Like
most Hornbills the species prefers open woodland and savannah. The female lays
two to four eggs in a tree hollow, which is blocked off during incubation with
a cement made of mud, droppings and fruit pulp. There is only one narrow
aperture, just big enough for the male to transfer food to the mother and the
chicks. When the chicks and female outgrow the nest, the mother breaks out and
rebuilds the wall, after which both parents feed the chicks. The plumage of the
male and female is similar but the male has a black bill, whereas the female
has red on the mandibles. Immature birds are more uniformly grey and all fly
with an undulating flight. They are omnivorous, taking insects, fruit and
reptiles.
