• Species in family  54
• Species observed (DR)  34 (63%)
• Species photo’d (DR)  17

Hornbills are spectacular denizens of the Old World tropics. They range from dense primary forests to dry open savanna, and each species is a dramatic bird. As a group they are right at or near the top of my favorite birds. Having a close encounter with a Great Indian Hornbill (left), for example, is a peak experience. The heavy whoosh of its wings as it approaches or leaves in the thick jungle recalls a close encounter with a jet airplane. And then there is the huge bill, the horny casque, the striking plumage patterns, the long tail .... these are birds to be remembered long after they have moved on. And some have incredible calls: those of the Helmeted Hornbill may be the most impressive bird vocalizations in the world!

Alan Kemp, world authority on this family, must agree, for he begins his Hornbills book (1995) this way: "Imagine being on the tropical island of Borneo and drifting quietly down a steam in a dug-out canoe. The giant trees of the rainforest rise on each bank like cathedral spires, and the creepers which festoon them form cloisters that conceal the dark damp interior. Raindrops pattering on the foliage and distant rumble of a retreating thunderstorm form a backdrop of sound, though which penetrates a single mournful hoot. More hoots follow at intervals, accelerating in tempo until they break suddenly into peals of maniacal laughter. Two huge birds then burst across the dome of the sky, their naked red heads extended and metre-long tail feathers trailing behind. Cackling loudly, they ram into one another like mountain sheep. . . .   Male Helmeted Hornbills are busy in defense of their territorial boundaries." The Great Indian Buceros bicornis, the maniacal Helmeted B. vigil, and the huge-billed Rhinoceros B. rhinoceros are perhaps the most impressive of the hornbills. It is the Rhinoceros that is featured on the cover of Smythies' Birds of Borneo (right) — a favorite painting of mine. I have visited two spots on earth that host a great diversity of hornbills. Nine species inhabit Danum Valley reserve in the north Borneo lowlands, I saw 7 of these (plus heard the Helmeted) during a 3-day visit in Aug 1988. I was fortunate to later see the Helmeted in Sumatra, deep in primary forest where I was eventually driven out by attacking leeches! My distant shot of Rhinoceros Hornbill is just below.

Africa also has impressive forest hornbills. Crowned Hornbill (left) is a widespread species. La Lopé Reserve in the Congo Basin of Gabon hosts 8 species. Here, I observed 6 of them in a 3-day visit, including great views of both dwarf hornbills [Black Dwarf Tokus hartlaubi & Red-billed Dwarf Tockus camurus] and a fine White-crowned Hornbill Tockus albocristratus perched in primary forest (this is a species that follows troops of monkeys). Among the 8 was African Pied Hornbill (below), shown here in e. Gabon performing aerial maneuvers as it chased hatching termites.

Both Asia and Africa have a variety of dry country species to complement the hornbills of thick lowland forest. In Asia, one of these is the Oriental Pied Hornbill (right), in flight through dry scrub-thorn forest in eastern Java, Indonesia. In Africa, there is a wide variety of dry-country species. Von der Decken's Hornbill (below left) occurs in arid savanna in east Africa; this bird with its striking red-and-yellow bill is a male. The Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill (below right) is widespread in southern Africa. It can be very tame in parks and game reserves.

The rainforest hornbills are primarily frugivores, but supplement animal matter (lizards, snakes, etc.) during nesting. Dry-country hornbills are more omnivorous throughout the year. The breeding biology of hornbills, featuring sealing the female inside the nest cavity during incubation while the male feeds her through a tiny slit, is among the strangest of all birds. A fine introduction to the family, with spectacular photos — including the whole nest-sealing procedure and 'inside-the-nest' views — is in Kemp (2001). [Following Kemp (1995), I consider the Ground-Hornbills to be a separate family. The Handbook of the Birds of the World series (Kemp 2001) keeps the two groups together in a single family (as has been the traditional view) but ground-hornbills do no seal the female into a nest site and differ in many other ways.]

Photos: The Great Indian Hornbill Buceros bicornis was inside Panbari Forest, Assam, India, on 2 Apr 2001. The Rhinoceros Hornbill B. rhinoceros was high in a forest tree at Danum Valley, north Borneo, Sabah, Malaysia, in Aug 1988; unfortunately, most of the massive horny casque atop the bill is hidden in this view, but it shows better on the cover of Smythies' Birds of Borneo book. The Crowned Hornbill Tockus alboterminatus was photographed at Ruhiza in the highlands of the Impenetrable Forest, Uganda, in July 2002. The termite-catching African Pied Hornbill T. fasciatus was east of Makoukou, Gabon, in July 1996. The Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris was in small flocks over thornscrub woodlands in Baluran Nat'l Park, Java, Indonesia, in Aug 1988. The male Von der Decken's Hornbill Tockus deckeni was in Tarangire Nat'l Park, Tanzania, in Aug 2002. The Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill T. leucomelas was a common bird in Kruger Nat'l Park, South Africa, in July 1996. They fed out of our hands in some picnic areas in the park, and we also watched one following a White Rhinoceros to snatch up whatever the beast disturbed. All photos © 2003 Don Roberson, all right reserved.

Bibliographic essay

Family book: IIII rating (out of 5 possible)
Kemp, A.C. 1995. The Hornbills. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford.

Written by one of the world’s authorities on this family, this is a strong addition to Oxford’s “Bird Families of the World” series. It covers both the typical Hornbills Bucerotidae and the Ground-Hornbills Bucorvidae. It appears to be authoritative on breeding biology & behavior (with lots of good line drawings). Taxonomic decisions appear quite reasonable (54 species) and I appreciate the detailed biometric tables. The plates by Martin Woodcock are quite good but in “field guide” style without background (except some branches for some to sit on). The plates are grouped together near the front opposite facing text highlighting i.d. points and ranges. Species accounts and range maps contained no errors obvious to me. Highly recommended.

Kemp, A.C. 2001. Family Bucerotidae (Hornbills). Pp. 436-523 in del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, J., eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol. 3. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.