Trumpeter Hornbill

Bycanistes bucinator

Animal Class: Birds

Length: 23-26 inches long

Weight: 1-1.5 pounds

Lifespan: Around 20 years

Diet: Fruit and large insects

Habitat: Native to tropical evergreen forests of southeastern Africa from South Africa to Kenya

Description: Trumpeter hornbills are a social species, and they live in small family groups of 2-5 birds, although they can have as many as 50 in a group. They’re intelligent and friendly, and communicate with a wide variety of chirps, whistles, and wails. These sounds are amplified via the protrusion on the top of their bill, known as a casque, a feature common to all hornbills.

Another interesting characteristic of trumpeter hornbills, and many other hornbills, is that the female walls herself up in her nest (usually made in a hollowed out tree) while she’s incubating eggs. In fact, she won’t leave the nest until her chicks fledge, which takes about 3 months. During that time, her mate feeds her through a small opening in the nest wall.

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Our Animals: Louise and Leonard