Hornbills (
Bucerotidae) are a
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
of
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
found in tropical and sub-tropical
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
and
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly-coloured and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Both the common English and the scientific name of the family refer to the shape of the bill, "buceros" being "cow horn" in
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
. In addition, they possess a two-lobed
kidneyThe kidneys are paired organs, which have the production of urine as their primary function. Kidneys are seen in many types of animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are part of the urinary system, but have several secondary functions concerned with homeostatic functions. ...
. Hornbills are the only birds in which the first two
neck vertebraeA vertebra is an individual bone in the flexible column that defines vertebrate animals, e.g. humans. The vertebral column encases and protects the spinal cord, which runs from the base of the cranium down the dorsal side of the animal until reaching the pelvis. From there, vertebra continue into...
(the
axisIn anatomy, the second cervical vertebra of the spine is named the axis or epistropheus.It forms the pivot upon which the first cervical vertebra , which carries the head, rotates....
and
atlasIn anatomy, the atlas is the topmost cervical vertebra of the spine.It is named for the Atlas of mythology, because it supports the globe of the head....
) are fused together; this probably provides a more stable platform for carrying the bill. The family is omnivorous, feeding on fruit and small animals. They are monogamous breeders nesting in natural cavities in trees and sometimes cliffs. A number of species of hornbill are threatened with
extinctionIn biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or group of taxa. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species...
, mostly insular species with small ranges.
Taxonomy
There are two subfamilies: the Bucorvinae contain the 2 ground-hornbills in a single
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
, whereas the
Bucerotinae contain all other taxa. In the
Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomyThe Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy is a radical bird taxonomy proposed by Charles Sibley and Jon Edward Ahlquist. It is based on DNA-DNA hybridization studies conducted in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s....
, hornbills are separated from the
CoraciiformesThe Coraciiformes are a group of usually colourful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills...
as a separate
orderIn scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Bucerotiformes, with the subfamilies elevated to family level. Given that they are almost as distant from the rollers, kingfishers and allies as are the
trogonThe trogons and quetzals are birds in the order Trogoniformes which contains only one family, the Trogonidae. The family contains 39 species in eight genera. The fossil record of the trogons dates back 49 million years to the mid-Eocene. They might constitute a member of the basal radiation of...
s, the arrangement chosen is more a matter of personal taste than any well-established taxonomic practice. All that can be said with reasonable certainty is that placing the hornbills outside the Coraciiformes and the trogons inside would be incorrect.
Distribution and habitats
The Bucerotidae include some 57 living
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
, though a number of cryptic species may yet be split in some insular forms. Their distribution ranges from Africa south of the
SaharaThe Sahara , , "The Greatest Desert") is the world's largest hot desert. At over 9,000,000 square kilometres , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as the United States or the continent of Europe. The desert stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean...
through tropical
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
to the
PhilippinesThe Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
and
Solomon IslandsThe Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. Together they cover a land mass of 28,400 square kilometres . The capital is Honiara, located on the island of Guadalcanal.The Solomon Islands are believed to have been...
. Most are arboreal birds, but the large ground-hornbills (
Bucorvus), as their name implies, are terrestrial birds of open
savannaA savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close...
. Of the 23 species found in Africa 13 of these species are birds of the more open woodlands and savanna, and some species even occur in highly arid environments. The remaining species are found in dense forests. This contrasts with Asia, where a single species occurs in open savanna and the remainder are forest species.
Description
Hornbills show considerable variation in size as a family, ranging in size from the
Black Dwarf HornbillThe Black Dwarf Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family.It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, and...
(
Tockus hartlaubi), at 102 grams (3.6 oz) and 30 cm (1 foot), to the
Southern Ground-hornbillThe Southern Ground-hornbill, Bucorvus leadbeateri or cafer, is one of two species of ground-hornbill and is the largest species of hornbill....
(
Bucorvus leadbeateri), at up to 6.2 kg (13.6 lbs) and 1.2 m (4 feet). Males are always bigger than the females, though the extent to which this is true varies dependent upon species. The extent of
sexual dimorphismSexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. Examples include colour , size, and the presence or absence of parts of the body used in courtship displays or fights, such as ornamental feathers, horns, antlers or tusks.-Examples:In...
also varies with body parts, for example the difference in body mass between males and females is between 1-17%, but the variation is 8-30% for bill length and 1-21% in wing length.
The most distinctive feature of the hornbills is the heavy bill, supported by powerful neck muscles as well as by the fused vertebrae.
The large bill assists in fighting, preening, and constructing the nest, as well as catching prey. A feature unique to the hornbills is the casque, a hollow structure that runs along the upper mandible . In some species it is barely perceptible and appears to serve no function beyond reinforcing the bill. In other species it is quite large, is reinforced with bone, and has openings between the hollow centre allowing serve as a resonator for calls. In the
Helmeted HornbillThe Helmeted Hornbill, Rhinoplax vigil, is a very large bird in the hornbill family. It is found in the Malay peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo....
the casque is not hollow but is filled with
ivoryHornbill ivory is a precious ornamental material derived from the Helmeted Hornbill , a large bird of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo....
and is used as a battering ram used in dramatic aerial jousts. Aerial casque-butting has also been reported in the
Great HornbillThe Great Hornbill, Buceros bicornis also known as Greater Indian Hornbill, Great Pied Hornbill and Two-horned Calao, is one of the larger member of the hornbill family. Great Hornbill is distributed in the forests of India, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, Indonesia. Their impressive size and...
.
The
plumagePlumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
of hornbills is typically black, grey, white, or brown, although typically offset by bright colours on the bill, or patches of bare coloured skin on the face or wattles. Some species exhibit
sexual dichromatismSexual dichromatism is a form of sexual dimorphism in which the males and the females of the same species have different marking patterns or different color fur or feathering.- External links :****...
; in the Abyssinian Ground-hornbill, for example, pure blue skin on the face and throat denotes an adult female, and red and blue skin denotes an adult male. The calls of hornbills are loud, and vary distinctly between different species.
Hornbills possess binocular
visionVision is the most important sense for birds, since good eyesight is essential for safe flight, and this group has a number of adaptations which give visual acuity superior to that of other vertebrate groups; a pigeon has been described as "two eyes with wings". The avian eye resembles that of a...
, although unlike most birds with this type of vision the bill intrudes on their visual field. This allows them to see their own bill tip and aids in precision handling of food objects with their bill. The eyes are also protected by large eyelashes which act as a sunshade.
Behaviour
Hornbills are diurnal, generally travelling in pairs or small family groups. Larger flocks sometimes form in the non-breeding season. The largest assemblages of hornbills form at some roosting sites, where as many as 2400 individual birds may be found.
Diet
Hornbills are
omnivorousOmnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
birds, eating fruit, insects and small animals. They cannot swallow food caught at the tip of the beak as their tongues are too short to manipulate it, so they toss it back to the throat with a jerk of the head. While both open country and forest species are omnivorous, species that specialise in feeding on fruit are generally found in forests while the more carnivorous species are found in open country. Forest living species of hornbills are considered to be important seed dispersers.
In some instances hornbills defend a fixed
territoryIn ethology, sociobiology and behavioral ecology, the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics...
. Territoriality is related to diet; fruit sources are often patchily distributed and require long distance travel in order to find, thus species that specialise in fruit are less territorial.
Breeding
Hornbills generally form monogamous pairs, although some species engage in cooperative breeding. The female lays up to six white eggs in existing holes or crevices, either in trees or rocks. The cavities are usually natural, but some species may nest in the abandoned nests of
woodpeckerWoodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s and
barbetAmerican barbets, family Capitonidae, are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes which inhabit humid forests in Central and South America. They are closely related to the toucans....
s. Nesting sites may be used in consecutive breeding seasons by the same pair. Before incubation, the females of all Bucerotinae—sometimes assisted by the male—begin to close the entrance to the nest cavity with a wall made of mud, droppings and fruit pulp. When the female is ready to lay her eggs, the entrance is just large enough for it to enter the nest, and after she has done so, the remaining opening is also all but sealed shut. There is only one narrow aperture, big enough for the male to transfer food to the mother and eventually the chicks. The function of this behaviour is apparently related to protecting the nesting site from rival hornbills. The sealing can be done in just a few hours, at most it takes a few days. Having sealed the nest it takes a further five days for the first egg to be laid.
ClutchA clutch of eggs refers to all the eggs produced by birds or reptiles often at a single time, particularly those laid in a nest.-Size:Clutch size will differ greatly between species, sometimes even within the same genus. It may also differ within the same species due to many factors including...
size varies from one or two eggs in the larger species to up to eight eggs for the smaller species. During the incubation period the female undergoes a complete and simultaneous
moultIn biology, moulting signifies the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body , either at specific times of year, or at specific points in its life-cycle.Moulting can involve the epidermis , pelage In biology, moulting (or molting, also known as sloughing, shedding or for...
. It has been suggested that the darkness of the cavity triggers a hormone involved in moulting. Non-breeding females and males go through a sequential moult. When the chicks and the female are too big to fit in the nest, the mother breaks out, then both parents feed the chicks. In some species the mother rebuilds the wall, whereas in others the chicks themselves rebuild the wall unaided. The ground-hornbills are conventional cavity-nesters instead.
Associations with other species
A number of hornbills have associations with other animal species. For example hornbills in Africa have a
mutualistic relationshipMutualism is a biological interaction between two organisms, where each individual derives a fitness benefit . Similar interactions within a species are known as co-operation...
with
Dwarf MongooseThe Common Dwarf Mongoose , sometimes just called the Dwarf Mongoose, is a small African carnivore belonging to the mongoose family .-Physical characteristics:...
s, in which they forage together and warn each other of nearby birds of prey and other predators. Other relationships are
commensalIn ecology, Commensalism is a class of relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits but the other is unaffected. There are two other types of association: mutualism and parasitism .Commensalism derives from the English word commensal, meaning "sharing of food" in human social...
, for example following monkeys or other animals and eating the insects flushed up by them.
Species list in taxonomic order
This is a list of hornbill species, presented in
taxonomic orderTaxonomic sequence is a sequence followed in listing of taxa which aids ease of use and roughly reflects the evolutionary relationships among the taxa...
.
Subfamily BucerotinaeBucerotinae is a subfamily of the hornbill family Bucerotidae. The subfamily contains all but two extant species of hornbills. There are 51 species spread over 8 genera* Genus Tockus** White-crested Hornbill Tockus albocristatus...
- Genus Tropicranus (sometimes included in Tockus)
- White-crested Hornbill
The White-crested Hornbill , also known as the Long-tailed Hornbill, is a species of hornbill found in humid forests of Central and West Africa...
Tropicranus albocristatus
- Genus Tockus
Tockus is a genus of the Bucerotidae family . They are found in Africa.-Species:* Crowned Hornbill, Tockus alboterminatus* Bradfield's Hornbill, Tockus bradfieldi* African Pied Hornbill, Tockus fasciatus...
- Black Dwarf Hornbill
The Black Dwarf Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family.It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, and...
Tockus hartlaubi
- Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill
The Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan,...
Tockus camurus
- Monteiro's Hornbill
The Monteiro's Hornbill, Tockus monteiri, is an African Hornbill. It is a medium sized bird, with a length between 54 to 58 cm, characterized by a white belly, black back, with white spots on the wings and secondary flight feathers coloured white. The outer feathers of the long tail are also...
Tockus monteiri
- Red-billed Hornbill
Red-billed Hornbill is a species of hornbill found in savanna and woodland of sub-Saharan Africa. It is sometimes split into five species, the Northern Red-billed Hornbill , Western Red-billed Hornbill , Tanzania Red-billed Hornbill , Southern Red-billed Hornbill Red-billed Hornbill (Tockus...
Tockus erythrorhynchus
- Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill
The Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda...
Tockus flavirostris
- Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
The Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, Tockus leucomelas, is a Hornbill found in southern Africa. It is a medium sized bird, with length between 48 to 60 cm, characterized by a long yellow beak with a casque . The skin around the eyes and in the malar stripe is pinkish...
Tockus leucomelas
- Jackson's Hornbill
The Jackson's Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family. It is found in Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda. Except for the dense white spots to the wing-coverts, it resembles, and is often considered a subspecies of, Von der Decken's Hornbill.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
Tockus jacksoni
- Von der Decken's Hornbill
Von der Decken's Hornbill is a hornbill. Hornbills are a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in East Africa, especially to the east of the Rift Valley, from Ethiopia south to Tanzania. It is mainly found in thorn scrub and similar arid habitats. It often includes Jackson's Hornbill as...
Tockus deckeni
- Crowned Hornbill
The Crowned Hornbill, Tockus alboterminatus, is an African hornbill. It is a medium-sized bird, with a length between 50 and 54 cm, and it is characterized by its white belly and black back and wings. The tips of the long tail feathers are white. The eyes are yellow; the beak is red and presents a...
Tockus alboterminatus
- Bradfield's Hornbill
The Bradfield's Hornbill, Tockus bradfieldi, is an African Hornbill. It is a medium sized bird, with length between 50 to 57 cm, characterized by white belly, black back and wings. The tip feathers of the long tail are white....
Tockus bradfieldi
- African Pied Hornbill
African Pied Hornbill, Tockus fasciatus, is a hornbill. Hornbills are a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World.African Pied Hornbill is a common resident breeder in much of equatorial Africa from The Gambia to western Uganda and northern Angola.This is a bird mainly of...
Tockus fasciatus
- Hemprich's Hornbill
The Hemprich's Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family.It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda.-References:...
Tockus hemprichii
- African Grey Hornbill
The African Grey Hornbill, Tockus nasutus, is a hornbill. Hornbills are a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World.The African Grey Hornbill is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa and into Arabia....
Tockus nasutus
- Genus Ocyceros
Ocyceros is an Asian genus of the Bucerotidae family . Species included in the genus are:* Malabar Grey Hornbill, Ocyceros griseus* Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Ocyceros gingalensis* Indian Grey Hornbill, Ocyceros birostris...
- Malabar Grey Hornbill
The Malabar Grey Hornbill, Ocyceros griseus, is a hornbill that is endemic to the Western Ghats and associated hills of southern India. They have a large beak but lack the casque that is prominent in other species of hornbills. They are found mainly in dense forest and around rubber, arecanut or...
Ocyceros griseus
- Ceylon Grey Hornbill Ocyceros gingalensis
- Indian Grey-Hornbill Ocyceros biostris
- Genus Anthracoceros
Anthracoceros is an Asian genus of the Bucerotidae family . Species included in the genus are:* Malabar Pied Hornbill, Anthracoceros coronatus* Oriental Pied Hornbill, Anthracoceros albirostris...
- Malabar Pied Hornbill
The Malabar Pied Hornbill is a hornbill. Hornbills are a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World....
Anthracoceros coronatus
- Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris
- Black Hornbill
The Black Hornbill, Anthracoceros malayanus, is a species of bird of the hornbill family Bucerotidae.It lives in Asia in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand.-Sounds:-External links:...
Anthracoceros malayanus
- Palawan Hornbill
The Palawan Hornbill , known locally as Talusi in Filipino language, is a smallish forest-dwelling bird. Its plumage is predominantly black with a white tail, a dark green gloss on its upper parts and a large creamy-white beak with a casque typical of the hornbill family...
Antracoceros marchei
- Sulu Hornbill
The Sulu Hornbill or Montano's Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family.It is endemic to the Philippines.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.It is threatened by habitat loss....
Anthracoceros montani
- Genus Buceros
Buceros is a genus of large Asian hornbills .-Species:Species included in the genus are:* Rhinoceros Hornbill, Buceros rhinoceros* Great Hornbill, Buceros bicornis* Rufous Hornbill, Buceros hydrocorax...
- Rhinoceros Hornbill
The Rhinoceros Hornbill, Buceros rhinoceros, is one of the largest hornbills, adults being 110-127 cm long and weigh 2-3 kg . The Rhinoceros Hornbill lives in captivity for up to 35 years. It is found in only the highest form of rain forest.Like most other hornbills, the male has orange or red...
Buceros rhinoceros
- Great Hornbill
The Great Hornbill, Buceros bicornis also known as Greater Indian Hornbill, Great Pied Hornbill and Two-horned Calao, is one of the larger member of the hornbill family. Great Hornbill is distributed in the forests of India, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, Indonesia. Their impressive size and...
Buceros bicornis
- Rufous Hornbill
The Rufous Hornbill , also known as Philippine Hornbill and, locally, as Kalaw is a large species of hornbill endemic to the Philippines, where it occurs in primary, mature secondary and disturbed forests on 11 islands: Luzon and Marinduque , Samar, Leyte, Bohol, Panaon, Biliran, Calicoan and Buad...
Buceros hydrocorax
- Genus Rhinoplax (sometimes included in Buceros)
- Helmeted Hornbill
The Helmeted Hornbill, Rhinoplax vigil, is a very large bird in the hornbill family. It is found in the Malay peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo....
Rhinoplax vigil
- Genus Anorrhinus
Anorrhinus is a genus of hornbills found in forests of south-east Asia...
Anorrhinus austeni
- Tickell's Brown Hornbill, Anorrhinus tickelli
- Bushy-crested Hornbill
The Bushy-crested Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
Anorrhinus galeritus
- Genus Penelopides
Penelopides is the genus of relatively small, primarily frugivorous hornbills found in forests of the Philippines and the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Their common name, tarictic hornbills, is an onomatopoetic reference to the main call of several of them. They have a ridged plate-like structure...
- Luzon Hornbill
The Luzon Tarictic Hornbill , sometimes shortened to Luzon Hornbill, is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family. It is endemic to forests on Luzon and nearby islands in the northern Philippines. As is the case with all Philippine tarictic hornbills, it has been considered a subspecies of P...
Penelopides manillae
- Mindoro Hornbill Penelopides mindorensis
- Visayan Hornbill Penelopides panini
- Samar Hornbill
The Samar Tarictic Hornbill , sometimes shortened to Samar Hornbill, is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family. It is found in forests on the islands of Samar, Calicoan, Leyte and Bohol in the east-central Philippines. As is the case with all Philippine tarictic hornbills, it has been...
Penelopides samarensis
- Mindanao Hornbill Penelopides affinis
- Sulawesi Hornbill
The Sulawesi Tarictic Hornbill , also known as the Sulawesi Hornbill, Temminck's Hornbill or Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill, is a relatively small, approximately 45 cm long, black hornbill. The male has a yellow face and throat, and black-marked yellowish-horn bill...
Penelopides exarhatus
- Genus Berenicornis (sometimes included in Aceros)
- White-crowned Hornbill
The White-crowned Hornbill , also known as the White-crested Hornbill , is a species of hornbill found in forests in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo...
Berenicornis comatus
- Genus Aceros
Aceros is a genus of large south-east Asian hornbills . This genus sometimes includes all species generally placed in the genus Rhyticeros. Alternatively, Aceros has been considered monotypic, only including the Rufous-necked Hornbill, in which case all of the remaining are moved to the Rhyticeros...
- Rufous-necked Hornbill
The Rufous-necked Hornbill, Aceros nipalensis is a species of hornbill found in South Asia.It is currently found in Bhutan, north-east India, Burma, southern Yunnan and south-east Tibet, China, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Numbers have declined dramatically, and it is estimated that there are now...
Aceros nipalensis
- Wrinkled Hornbill
The Wrinkled Hornbill or Sunda Wrinkled Hornbill is a medium-large hornbill which is found in forest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo...
Aceros corrugatus
- Writhed Hornbill
The Mindanao Wrinkled Hornbill , also known as the Writhed Hornbill, is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family.It is endemic to humid forests on the Philippine islands of Mindanao, Dinagat and Camiguin Sur...
Aceros leucocephalus
- Rufous-headed Hornbill Aceros waldeni
- Knobbed Hornbill
The Knobbed Hornbill, Aceros cassidix, also known as Sulawesi Wrinkled Hornbill is a large black hornbill with a yellow bill, white tail feathers, pale blue skin around eye, blackish feet and bare dark blue throat. The male has rufous buff face and neck, orange-red eyes and a high reddish casque on...
Aceros cassidix
- Genus Rhyticeros
Rhyticeros is a genus of medium to large hornbills found in forests from south-east Asia to the Solomons. They are sometimes included in the genus Aceros...
(sometimes included in Aceros)
- Wreathed Hornbill
The Wreathed Hornbill , also known as the Bar-pouched Wreathed Hornbill, is a species of hornbill found in forests from far north-eastern India and Bhutan, east and south through mainland south-east Asia and the Greater Sundas, except Sulawesi. It is 75–100 cm long...
Rhyticeros undulatus
- Narcondam Hornbill
The Narcondam Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family. It is endemic to the Indian island of Narcondam in the Andamans.It is threatened by habitat loss....
Rhyticeros narcondami
- Sumba Hornbill
The Sumba Hornbill is a medium-sized, approximately 70cm long, blackish hornbill. The male dark reddish-brown on crown and nape, and paler neck. The female has an entirely black plumage...
Rhyticeros everetti
- Plain-pouched Hornbill
The Plain-pouched Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family. It is found in forests in southern Burma, adjacent parts of western Thailand and in northern Peninsular Malaysia....
Rhyticeros subruficollis
- Papuan Hornbill
The Papuan Hornbill is also known as Blyth's Hornbill. Its local name in Tok Pisin is kokomo. It is a large hornbill species inhabiting the forest canopy in the Wallacea and Melanesia....
Rhyticeros plicatus
- Genus Bycanistes
Bycanistes is a genus of medium to large, primarily frugivorous hornbills found in the forests and woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa. They have often been included in the genus Ceratogymna, but today most authorities consider them separate. All species in this genus have a black and white plumage...
(sometimes included in Ceratogymna).
- Trumpeter Hornbill
The Trumpeter Hornbill, Bycanistes bucinator, is a medium-sized hornbill, with length between 58 to 65 cm, characterized by a large grey casque on the bill, smaller in females. The eyes are brown or red, with pink surrounding skin. They are similar to Silvery-cheeked Hornbill...
Bycanistes bucinator
- Piping Hornbill
The Piping Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal,...
Bycanistes fistulator
- Silvery-cheeked Hornbill
The Silvery-cheeked Hornbill is a large bird, with length from 75 to 80 cm, characterized by a very large creamy casque on the beak, smaller in females. The head is silver-grey and the rest of the plumage is black, except for a broad white stripe on the lower back...
Bycanistes brevis
- Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill
The Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, Bycanistes subcylindricus, also known as Grey-cheeked Hornbill, is a large, approximately 70 cm long, black and white hornbill. It has an over-sized blackish bill with large casque on top...
Bycanistes subcylindricus
- Brown-cheeked Hornbill
The Brown-cheeked Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family.It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo....
Bycanistes cylindricus
- White-thighed Hornbill
The White-thighed Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Sudan, and Uganda.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. ...
Bycanistes albotibialis
- Genus Ceratogymna
Ceratogymna is a genus of large, primarily frugivorous hornbills found in the humid forests of Central and West Africa. They are sexually dimorphic, with males being overall black, while females have brown heads and a smaller casque...
- Black-casqued Hornbill
The Black-casqued Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family.It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, and...
Ceratogymna atrata
- Yellow-casqued Hornbill
The Yellow-casqued Hornbill is found in the primeval rain forest of coastal regions of West Africa, for example in Côte d'Ivoire....
Ceratogymna elata
Subfamily Bucorvinae
- Genus Bucorvus
- Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill
The Abyssinian Ground-hornbill or Northern Ground-hornbill, Bucorvus abyssinicus, is one of two species of ground-hornbill. The other is the Southern Ground-hornbill....
Bucorvus abyssinicus
- Southern Ground-Hornbill
The Southern Ground-hornbill, Bucorvus leadbeateri or cafer, is one of two species of ground-hornbill and is the largest species of hornbill....
Bucorvus leadbeateri
Cultural significance
Most species' casques are very light, containing a good deal of airspace. However, the
Helmeted HornbillThe Helmeted Hornbill, Rhinoplax vigil, is a very large bird in the hornbill family. It is found in the Malay peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo....
has a solid casque made of a material called
hornbill ivoryHornbill ivory is a precious ornamental material derived from the Helmeted Hornbill , a large bird of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo....
, which is greatly valued as a carving material in
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
and
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is often used as a medium for the art of
netsukeNetsuke are miniature sculptures that were invented in 17th century Japan to serve a practical function...
.
External links