Yellow billed Hornbills fighting

On our way back to the lodge after a successful morning drive we saw 2 male yellow billed hornbills fighting, both birds were on the ground and as we watched first one bird and then the other would jump in the air and they would spar with each other using their beaks, there was a third hornbill close by that seemed to be a female, after a few moments of “aerial combat” one of the male hornbills flew away and the remaining two birds flew up into a tree and sat together.

Posted: &BEYOND Exeter Lodges by Andrew Schoeman, Date: 8 November 2007