Rhinoceros Hornbill

The Rhinoceros Hornbill is a large, spectacular hornbill of Sundaic rainforests, named for the prominent upcurved casque that rises above its bill and points forward like a horn. It is the state bird of Sarawak, Malaysia, and a culturally significant species across Borneo.

Plumage is mostly glossy black with a white belly, white leg feathers, and a white tail crossed by a black band, though wild birds often show a yellowish tinge from preen oil. The large bill is pale yellow to orange, and the casque is red at the base fading to yellow or cream at the tip, curving distinctly upward.

Key field marks

• Large, upward-curving casque, red at the base and yellow toward the tip
• Black body with white lower belly, thighs, and white tail with a black band
• Reddish eyes ringed with bare skin

Similar species

• Great Hornbill: casque is flatter and more concave, not sharply upturned, and has a white (not black-banded near the base) tail pattern differing in detail; ranges overlap only marginally.
• Helmeted Hornbill: has a much smaller, solid ivory-like casque and extremely long central tail streamers, unlike the Rhinoceros Hornbill's shorter tail.

Habitat

Rhinoceros Hornbills inhabit lowland and hill dipterocarp rainforest with tall emergent trees used for nesting and roosting.

Range

Found on Borneo, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsula, with a small population historically on Java.

Migration

The species is non-migratory, though pairs and family groups may range widely in search of fruiting trees.

Behavior

Rhinoceros Hornbills are typically seen in pairs or small groups, flying between forest patches with slow, heavy wingbeats.

Voice

Calls are loud, harsh barking and honking notes, often given in duet and carrying far through the forest canopy.

Feeding

The diet is dominated by figs and other fruit, supplemented with insects, small reptiles, and occasionally small mammals or birds.

Nesting and breeding

Like other large hornbills, the female seals herself into a tree cavity nest using mud and droppings, leaving a narrow slit through which the male delivers food throughout incubation and early chick-rearing.