<P> Zazu ( voiced by Rowan Atkinson in The Lion King , Edward Hibbert in Timon & Pumbaa , The Lion King II : Simba 's Pride , and The Lion King 11⁄2 , and Jeff Bennett in The Lion Guard ) is a red - billed hornbill and majordomo to Mufasa and later Simba . After Mufasa 's death , Zazu becomes a prisoner of Scar before Pumbaa breaks the bone cage releasing him when Simba returns to the Pride Lands . He eventually acts as a scout and advises Simba on royal protocol . In the musical , Zazu is a puppet controlled by an actor dressed in blue striped clothes and a bowler hat , much like a stereotypical butler . Zazu 's blue feathers have been replaced with white and the puppet is partially constructed from parachute silk with a slinky contained in the neck for ease in movement . </P>
what kind of bird is in the lion king
a red - billed hornbill