General Information

The Rhinoceros Hornbill is one of the largest of its kind. Its golden-yellow horn, called a casque, acts as a resonating chamber, amplifying the animal's nasal calls. It represents a war god for the Dayak people, natives of Borneo Island. It is also the state bird for the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

Physical Description

This is one of the largest hornbills growing up to 122 cm. Only the helmeted hornbill is larger at 127 cm. Like most other hornbills, the males have orange or red eyes, and the female has whitish eyes. The bird's beak is mainly white and the casque curves strikingly upward. There are orange areas scattered among the body and its under parts are white, especially the tail.

Diet

These birds are omnivorous mainly feeding on fruits and insects.

Habitat

The Rhinoceros lives in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. This species is mostly found in low densities in most large blocks of lowland forestry. Pairs normally live in the crowns of the tallest trees. They regularly visit fruiting giant strangling figs.

Reproduction

Their reproduction habits are very interesting. The incubating females are usually sealed into a tree hole nest with mud leaving a only a tiny hole for the males to pass food through. When the young hatch the female breaks out but immediately reseals the nest until the young are ready to leave.