Giant Hornbill or Great Pied Hornbill

Giant Hornbill or Great Pied Hornbill
Buceros bicornis (Linnaeus)

Local Name: Thuloo Dhanesh, Homrai

Altitudinal Range: 120 – 275 m.

Entire length: 130 cm.

Status and Habitat:

This is a very rare and resident bird subject to seasonal migration. Found in deciduous and evergreen forests.

Field marks:

A handsome hornbill with black and white upper plumage with a massive yellow and black bill. The male and female slightly differ in size. Generally face and abdomen black, neck, under tail-coverts white. The blackish wing has white wing bars and the whitish tail has a broad black sub-terminal band. Bill is horn-shaped and is surrounded by a large, U-shaped calque when viewed from the top. The degree of yellow on the calque differs for it is an oil stain that comes from the rump gland. Its oil produces an orange color; when more diluted. The female hornbill is similar to the male in plumage coloration but is slightly smaller. Live in pairs or groups of threes or fours in leafy, fruiting trees. Its flight is labored and noisy.

Food:

Feed on drupes, berries, and figs. In the non-fruiting season, it feeds on eggs and nesting of birds as well as lizards, tree snakes, and rats.

Call:

A loud and distinctive, Tok Tok repeated several times.

Breading:

March-April usually nest is made in a lofty hollow tree. Eggs 1-3, creamy white.

Distribution:

Found in Chitwan National Park, Bardia National Park, Dharan, and Sanischare.

Range:

Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan.

Birds Watching in Bardia National Park

Birds Watching in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve

Similor Information

Protected Areas of Nepal

Bird Watching in Nepal