The A - Z April Challenge: Y

For today's letter, I offer two more extraordinary East African birds...

.

Y is for Yellow-billed Hornbill

.

.

The Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill inhabits the dry and semi-arid regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. This bird prefers to forage on the ground, but builds nests in tree holes. 

.

On our way to Lake Nakuru, I was delighted to see this fellow posed sedately at eye level, completely unconcerned when we stopped to snap his picture.

.

The hornbill lives on a diet of fruit, seeds and insects, using its powerful curved beak to probe termite mounds. It is in most peril from eagles, leopards, chimpanzees, and of course, humans.

.

Y is also for Yellow-necked Spurfowl

.

The brightly-marked Spurfowl lives in open bush and light savannah, preferring the edge of flood plains that are rich in the sedge that is his food staple.

.

This is a noisy bird, most active at dawn and dusk, and is commonly seen alongside the road in reserves and conservation areas. Unfortunately, considerable numbers of spurfowl are found only in protected areas as they are a favourite of poachers.

.

For more A - Z posts, be sure to pop by Arlee Bird's site and see what others have done with the letter Y...
.

http://www.tossingitout.blogspot.com/2011/01/very-special-and-exciting

.