Monteiro's Hornbill

Description:

This was my today's lucky encounter, one of birds I was desperately hoping to see - a Namibian endemic (or near-endemic?), Monteiro's hornbill. I guestimated its length at a bit over 50cm, and found it a rather medium-sized for a hornbill. Darker and spotted white above, it does remind of its Southern yellow-billed cousin a bit, but its darker head, darker chest, very white underparts and finer and redder bill dissipate the resemblance.

Habitat:

Seen in Kunene region of Namibia (northwest), somewhere deep in the bush close to a rural road. The environment is arid open acacia tree-and-shrub, very dry (but still magnificent and rich in wildlife) at the moment, following a three-year dry-spell. At mid-day, the bird was hiding in a shade, and was very reluctant to move due to an overwhelming heat.

Notes:

I'm not sure if Monteiro's Hornbill is an endemic or near endemic - some sources state it's found only in Namibia, while others claim it was encountered also in south-western Angola. Whatever is right, it was a lifer for me, and it seems also a lifer for PN...