Red-billed Hornbill in Denver Zoo – Colorado, US
The red-billed hornbills are a group of hornbills found in the savannas and woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa.
After living behind the scenes in our Avian Propagation Center for a few years, Littles, the 8-year-old red-billed hornbill, can now be found on exhibit with our Cabot’s tragopans and Nicobar pigeons.
Of the five hornbill species that call Denver Zoo home, Littles is, well, the littlest as he weighs about 160 grams, and weighs roughly the same size as a lorikeet. This means that our largest hornbill species at the Zoo are over 25 times heavier than him!
Littles enjoys fruits, vegetables, grains, mice, lizards and loves to chow down on insects. Does this little bird look familiar? That might because red-billed hornbills are most well known for being the inspiration behind Zazu in Disney’s “The Lion King!” Be sure to say hi to Littles next time you’re at the Zoo!
Video Source: Meet Littles! from Denver Zoo on Youtube ⁄ CC BY
