SOUTH AFRICAN BIRDS AND THEIR DIET 



their large, powerful bills. They also eat snakes, lizards, 

 tortoises, rats, and mice. Snakes feed largely on rats and mice, 

 and the lizard feeds exclusively on insects. However, the large 

 number of insects, rats, mice, and tortoises consumed by the 

 ground hornbill makes it of great value to man. 



The Hornbill. 



(Genera — Bycanistes and Lophoceros.) 



Diet. — The hornbills feed on the larger insects, such 

 as locusts, grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars. They also eat 

 fruit and berries. They are especially fond of bananas, and 

 often do much harm in the banana plantations. I have seen 

 them feeding greedily on ripe tomatoes. The hornbill keeps, 

 as a general rule, to the bush-lands, and seldom invades orchards. 



The Trogon, or Bosch Lourie. 



{Hapaloderma nar'ina.) 



Diet. — The narina trogon inhabits the forests and thickets, 

 and feeds on a great variety of insect life which it takes on the 

 wing. This bird supplements its insect diet occasionally with 

 the soft portions of forest fruits and berries. The trogon is 

 one of our policemen of the forests, and renders sterling services. 



The Woodpecker. 



(Genera — Campothera.^ Dendropiciis^ Thripias^ and 

 Mesopicus.) 



Diet. — The woodpeckers of these genera inhabit the forests 

 and other bush-lands, of which they are Nature's chief con- 

 servators. From early morning to dusk they are on the move 

 in search of food, which consists of insects on and in trees. 

 Every inch of the bark is explored, and crevices are peered 

 into for the lurking insect enemy of the tree. To get at the 

 larvae or grubs of the wood-boring beetles, the bark is pecked off 

 and the grub is drawn out of the wood and devoured. Dead 



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