Aletta Bester from Pretoria sent this photo to go. She wondered how on earth this hornbill managed to fit so many frogs in its beak.
We took this photo of the hornbill one late afternoon in the Kruger National Park. It looked as if it was on its way home with its catch. How does it manage to fit so many frogs in its beak? Just think how anxious those frogs must feel!
Lucy Kemp, project manager of the Mabula Hornbill Project, answers: This is normal behaviour during the breeding season when all the males (Dad and his helpers) in the group gather such food parcels to deliver to the female.
It's a complicated process because they have to put the whole lot down to catch their next victim.
Afterwards, they have to line up the frogs again and scoop them up. The bird skillfully crushes the legs of the prey with its beak; I therefore doubt that there was any chance for the frogs to feel anxious!
