The Hornbills (Bucerotidoe) are a remarkable group of birds found in southern Asia and Africa. They are akin to the Toucans and Kingfishers. The hornbills are remarkable for the size of their bill and a horny protuberance which surmounts the bill.The rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) is almost the size of a turkey, of a black colour, except on the lower part of the belly and tip of the tail, which are white. It has a sharp-pointed, slightly-curved bill, about 25 cm long, and furnished at the base of the upper mandible with an immense appendage in the form of an inverted horn. The skeleton though bulky is very light, being permeated with air to an unusual degree. During incubation the female is plastered up in the hollow of a tree and fed by the male through a small aperture left for the purpose. The hornbills are of arboreal habit, and feed on fruits; but in captivity they take small reptiles, and the Abyssinian species even attacks snakes. Research Hornbills
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Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Nature
Research Hornbills
