Ryan Photographic - Bucerotidae - Hornbills
Family Bucerotidae
Hornbills are found in Africa, Asia and parts of Melanesia. They are characterized by a large beak, sometimes with a casque on the upper mandible. They are large birds with the southern ground hornbill reaching 6.2 kg. They are omnivores, regularly feeding on fruit but happy to snap up large insects, lizards, frogs and small mammals. There are currently 50 described species, but this number may increase as more molecular data becomes available.
The hornbills I encountered in Borneo and the Solomon Islands fly with noisy, easily recognizable wing beats. You can often hear them coming before you can see them.
For more information check out Wikipedia.
Anthracoceros coronatus, Malabar pied hornbill
Anthracoceros coronatus, Malabar pied hornbill , Yala National Park, Sri Lanka 5P7A8908
Buceros rhinoceros Rhinoceros hornbill
Buceros rhinoceros Rhinoceros hornbill, captive.
Bucorvus abyssinicus Ground Hornbill
Bucorvus abyssinicus Ground Hornbill
Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus Wrinkled hornbill
Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus Wrinkled hornbill
Rhyticeros plicatus Blyth's hornbill
Rhyticeros plicatus Blyth's hornbill, male, captive, Sorido, Raja Ampat, West Papua IMG_4081
Rhyticeros plicatus Blyth's hornbill, male, captive, Sorido, Raja Ampat, West Papua IMG_4090
Tockus deckeni Von der Decken's hornbill
Tockus deckeni Von der Decken's hornbill, male IMG_5528
Tockus erythrorhynchus Northern red-billed hornbill
Tockus erythrorhynchus Northern red-billed hornbill IMG_2194
Tockus erythrorhynchus Northern red-billed hornbill, Tarangire National Park, Tanzania IMG_2206