Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Which coraciiform birds feed while walking on the ground?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Coraciiform
Yellow-billed hornbill (Tockus leucomelas).
Within the order Coraciiformes, several birds are known to feed while walking on the ground. These include:
- Ground rollers: Found in Madagascar, these birds primarily inhabit deep forests and forage on the ground for food similar to that of the hoopoe.12
- Hoopoe: This bird typically feeds by walking with quick steps, bobbing its head, and probing the ground with its long bill to search for small vertebrates and large arthropods.2
- Hornbills: While many hornbills forage in trees, some species occasionally forage on the ground. Notably, the ground hornbills (Bucorvus species) exhibit a social organization while searching for insects and small animals on the ground, where they may catch prey flushed out by other members of the group.2
Additionally, while primarily a "watchful waiter," the shovel-billed kingfisher (Clytoceyx rex) of New Guinea is considered partly terrestrial and is known to dig for earthworms and beetles on the forest floor using its bill.2