Ubon Zoo

Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros)

Information English Name / Rhinoceros Hornbill Science Name / Buceros rhinoceros

Interesting :

The male and female have a few different characteristics. The female has the larger body size than the male. The female has a hump near the ear and paler eyes than the male. Other than that, they are quite similar; black feathers and body, white stomach and tails with black horizontal stripes near the tail edge which is similar to the Great hornbill. The hump above the mouth is an upward arch and the hump edge which is in front of an upward arch has red color.

Habitat :

Can be found in Malaysia. For Thailand, it can be found only in the lower part of the South from Songkla province onward. This species occurs in extensive areas of primary lowland and hill forest, extending into tall secondary forest and swamp forests, up to 1,400 m.When foraging, it crosses occasionally disturbed areas and plantations (Poonswad et al. 2013). It mainly feeds on fruits, but also takes small animals like arthropods, lizards, tree-frogs and bird eggs (Kemp and Boesman 2018). It will eat a variety of fig species and often takes advantage of ripened trees (Zainal Zahari Zainuddin et al. 1998; Choo 2000). They are usually seen in pairs. Other smaller hornbill species, for example the Oriental Pied hornbill, Bushy-crested hornbill and Black hornbill avoid feeding at the same section or level of the fruiting fig tree as Rhinoceros hornbills. In some instances, they wait near the fruiting fig tree and approach when the Rhinoceros hornbills have left. The Rhinoceros hornbill also forms large groups of up to 15 individuals (mostly young adults), which can be seen roaming the forest canopy together in Belum-Temengor Forest Complex (Yeap C.A. pers. obs.). It breeds seasonally, with nests being placed in natural tree cavities in 9-15m height (Kemp and Boesman 2018). Breeding has been recorded in several Peninsular Malaysian States of Pahang, Selangor, Johor, and Perak (Kaur et al. 2015; Wells 1999). In Sabah, fledglings have been noted in Sungai Segama (Fogden 1965) and adult birds have also used artificial nests in Kinabatangan with a chick fledging successfully (HUTAN 2019). Nest tree species used by the hornbills include Koompassia malaccensis (Kaur et al. 2015). Breeding in Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary, Sarawak has been recorded between November and March (L. Sir in litt. 2020).

Food :

The Food is snakes, skink, chameleon, fruit, fig, and small animals

Behavior :

Live in tropical rain forest at the height level of not exceeding 4,000 feet or 1,200 meters from the sea level and normally clings on the high branch of the tree.The mating behavior of Rhinoceros Hornbill is similar to that of other hornbill. It builds the nest in the hollow of the tree and the male will be the one who seeks for the food to feed the bird’s mother and the chick.