Hornbills - FAMILY BUCEROTIDAE

Hornbills are large, black or brown, and white, mainly arboreal birds, with long, heavy bills. Many species have large protuberant casques on top of the bill which may be gaudily coloured. Hornbills are found throughout Africa and tropical Asia, and throughout Indonesia to New Guinea. They eat fruits and insects, and have harsh, penetrating calls.

The nesting habits of the family are interesting. The incubating females are usually sealed into tree hole nests with mud, leaving only a small aperture through which food can be passed by the male. When the young are hatched the female breaks out but reseals the nest entrance again until the young are ready to leave. Ten species of hornbill occur in Sumatra, eight in Borneo, but only three are found in Java.

• BUSHY-CRESTED HORNBILL Anorrhinus galeritus
• WHITE-CRESTED HORNBILL Aceros comatus
• WRINKLED HORNBILL Aceros corrugatus
• WREATHED HORNBILL Aceros undulatus
• ASIAN BLACK HORNBILL Anthracoceros malayanus
• RHINOCEROS HORNBILL Buceros rhinoceros
• ORIENTAL PIED HORNBILL Anthracoceros albirostris