Featured Animals – Ground Hornbill

Discover “everything ground hornbill” (Northern Abyssinian) around the Zoo below; from news to adoptions, births, conservation programs, your own encounter options, animal experiences, shows, events and more.

Highlights of Ground Hornbills

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Adopt a Ground Hornbill

Everything Ground Hornbill

Members Only Conservation Vote Rankings Announced

April 16, 2026

Last month, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo members cast their votes to help the Zoo decide how to spend $75,000 of member conservation funds among staff-championed conservation projects vying for members’ support. The three projects with the most votes received the full funding they requested. Every membership and every visit to the Zoo is conservation in action. . . .

Explore The Hornbills’ New Exhibit

May 25, 2023

Petrie’s and Layla’s charming antics, from their playful foot-slaps to their enthusiastic enrichment tossing, make it impossible not to adore them. Our Abyssinian (Northern) ground hornbills have been spending a lot of time exploring their unique home! Their exhibit was inspired by a real-life shop near our conservation partner Tsavo Trust in Kenya, showcasing the . . .

Ground Hornbill Encounter

Meet this Animal Up-close.

Known in some cultures as “bringers of good luck,” these birds are the most charismatic birds at the Zoo! Enjoy experiences of a lifetime, fantastic photo-ops and feeding or enrichment opportunities with your favorite.

Enjoy this amazing experience, which may include:

Watching these birds train with their keepers.
Learning all about these fascinating birds, their husbandry and hear keeper’s stories.
The opportunity to toss some scrumptious snacks to our hornbills.

Note: Closed-toes shoes are required.

Meet & Feed An Animal

Once in a lifetime Opportunities Select your unique experience from the following options: Meet & Greets – unique animal interactions year-round, with any one of our smaller animals listed below. Animal Encounters – connect with amazing animals and their Keepers, plus options to feed many of the animals listed. V.I.P. Tours – behind-the-scenes exclusive animal . . .

Encounter Africa

Explore Encounter Africa, the Zoo’s award-winning exhibit. The views of Colorado Springs seen from the exhibit’s sky bridge remind you that you’re close to the city limits, but walking side-by-side with the Zoo’s elephants takes you to a different world. You’ll feel closer than ever to our African elephants as they splash in their waterfall and pool. See a black rhinoceros from a cantilevered bush plane. Along the way, meet meerkats and African Cape porcupine too.

Endangered Species at the Zoo

Are They in Danger of Extinction? Animals listed here may have a threatened or endangered conservation status with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

Adopt an Animal

Foster any animal and you’ll help Cheyenne Mountain Zoo continue to provide outstanding care. Whether given as a gift or used to celebrate a favorite species, symbolic adoptions come with a variety of benefits only adoptive parents can enjoy. Ways to adopt your favorites: Digital Adoption – ($35) choose any Zoo animal from the full . . .