The ground hornbills are a subfamily of the hornbill

Hornbill

Hornbills are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly-colored and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Both the common English and the scientific name of the family...

 family Bucerotidae, with a single genus Bucorvus and two extant species.

The subfamily is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...

 - Abyssinian Ground Hornbill being found in a belt from Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

 east to Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

, with Southern Ground Hornbill occurring in the south

Southern Africa

Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...

 and east

East Africa

East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...

 of the continent.

Ground hornbills are large, with adults around a metre tall. Both species are ground-dwelling, unlike other hornbills. They can be very long-lived.

Taxonomy

Some ornithologists consider the hornbills a distinct order Bucerotiformes and raise the Ground-hornbills to family

Family

In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...

 level (Bucorvidae) on account of their distinctness.
The genus Bucorvus contains two extant species:

• Abyssinian Ground Hornbill Bucorvus abyssinicus (also known as Northern Ground Hornbill)
• Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri

A prehistoric ground hornbill, Bucorvus brailloni, has been described from fossil

Fossil

Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...

bones.