Great Hornbill

The Great Hornbill is among the largest and most iconic hornbill species, found in the forests of South and Southeast Asia. It is best known for the huge, hollow, yellow-and-black casque that sits atop its enormous bill, giving the bird an unmistakable silhouette.

Adults have mostly black plumage with a white neck, white trailing edges to the wings, and a white tail crossed by a broad black band. The bill is large and yellow, tinged with red at the base, and topped by the concave, U-shaped casque that gives the species its scientific name "bicornis," or two-horned. Both sexes preen with a yellow oil secretion from a preen gland that stains the white feathers and casque, so wild birds often appear yellowish rather than pure white.

Key field marks

• Massive yellow bill topped by a large, hollow, U-shaped casque
• Black body with white neck, wing edges, and black-banded white tail
• Deep, loud whooshing sound produced by wingbeats in flight, audible at long range

Similar species

• Rhinoceros Hornbill: has an upturned, red-and-yellow casque and different range (Sundaic islands and Malay Peninsula) versus the Great Hornbill's broader South/Southeast Asian range.
• Wreathed Hornbill: much smaller casque with corrugated ridges rather than a large solid horn-like structure.

Habitat

Great Hornbills inhabit tall evergreen and moist deciduous forest with large fruiting trees, particularly figs, needed for both feeding and nesting.

Range

Found from the Western Ghats and Himalayan foothills of the Indian subcontinent eastward through Southeast Asia to Sumatra.

Migration

The species is largely sedentary but individuals may travel considerable distances tracking fruiting trees, especially figs, across the forest landscape.

Behavior

Great Hornbills are usually seen in pairs or small family groups, and sometimes gather in larger numbers at abundant fruiting trees.

Voice

Calls include loud, deep, barking or roaring notes, often given as duets between paired birds and audible over long distances through the forest canopy.

Feeding

Figs form the bulk of the diet, supplemented by other fruit and, opportunistically, small mammals, birds, reptiles, and large insects; the species is an important disperser of large-seeded rainforest fruit.

Nesting and breeding

Great Hornbills nest in large tree cavities. The female seals herself inside using a plaster of mud, droppings, and food remains, leaving only a narrow slit through which the male passes food to her and, later, to the chicks, until the growing brood breaks out.