his fellow walked up to me at the fence line, checked me out, decided he wanted to play and walked all the way back to his housing area to retrieve a toy. He then walked back to the fence and offered the toy to me, tempting me to play a game of sorts. He looked lonely and just wanted someone to play with. With the 21 degree temperatures on the day I took this, the zoo was pretty empty so these Hornbills weren’t getting much attention.
The Southern Ground Hornbill is the largest and the heaviest of all the Hornbill species. They can grow to 35-40 inches tall and weigh an average of 10.5 lb for males and 7.5 lb for females. They are native to the southern African continent and feed on both plants and animals. In the wild these birds consume a variety of prey including small snakes, lizards and mice as well as a variety of fruit.
I’d like the thank the staff and volunteers at the Philadelphia Zoo for the time each took with me explaining behaviors and characteristics of each of the animals. Everyone there was very pleasant and seemed to genuinely care about the animals they were caretakers of. It was uplifting to experience a zoo so well run. Like so many other zoos, they are hurting for funds and would appreciate your help. You can find out how you can help support the Philadelphia Zoo by visiting their web site at http://www2.philadelphiazoo.org.
Taken on 12-20-2008. Shot through a chain link fence…ah the magic of the Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 :–)
