Tockus

The genus Tockus was introduced in 1830 by the French naturalist René Lesson. He listed three species in his new genus but did not specify a type species. In 1840 the English zoologist George Gray selected the type as Buceros erythrorhynchus, the northern red-billed hornbill. The genus name is derived from a word used by local people in Senegal for a hornbill. == Description ==

Hornbills in the genus Tockus are medium-sized African birds with triangular shaped curved bills. They can be found in tropical and sub-tropical African grasslands, forests and savannahs. They all have long tail feathers which are black on the exterior and white on the interior. ==Species==

The genus contains the following ten species: • Tanzanian red-billed hornbill, Tockus ruahae – central Tanzania • Western red-billed hornbill, Tockus kempi – Senegal and Gambia to south Mauritania and west Mali • Damara red-billed hornbill, Tockus damarensis – southwest Angola, north Namibia and west Botswana • Southern red-billed hornbill, Tockus rufirostris – Malawi and Zambia to south Angola and Transvaal • Northern red-billed hornbill, Tockus erythrorhynchus – south Mauritania through Somalia to northeast Tanzania • Monteiro's hornbill, Tockus monteiri – southwest Angola to central Namibia • Von der Decken's hornbill, Tockus deckeni – Ethiopia and Somalia to central Tanzania • Jackson's hornbill, Tockus jacksoni – south South Sudan, southwest Ethiopia, northeast Uganda and west Kenya • Southern yellow-billed hornbill, Tockus leucomelas – south • Eastern yellow-billed hornbill, Tockus flavirostris – Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia to north Tanzania == References ==