Trumpeter hornbill

Bycanistes bucinator

Photo by Marco Valentini (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
trumpeter hornbill (en); calau-trompeteiro (pt); calao trompette (fr); cálao trompetero (es); trompeterhornvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Coraciiformes
Family Bucerotidae

Range:
This species is found in East Africa, from Kenya to eastern South Africa, and west, through southern D.R. Congo and Zambia, into Angola.

Size:
This medium-sized hornbill is 58-65 cm long and has a wingspan of 60-62 cm. They weigh 450-1.000 g.

Habitat:
The trumpeter hornbill is found in both moist and dry tropical forests, as well as in dry savannas, especially along watercourses. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.200 m.

Diet:
They mainly feed on fruits such as Ficus, Trichilia, Ekebergia, Diospyros, Drypetes, Rauvolfia, Berchemia, Xanthocercis, Afzelia, Rhoicissus, Antidesma, Monanthotaxis, Pterocarpus, Stychnos, but also flowers, invertebrates like woodlice, millipedes, caterpillars, spiders and crabs, the eggs and nestlings of other birds and wasp nests.

Breeding:
Trumpeter hornbills breed in September-January. The nest in natural holes in trees, or sometimes in rocky crevices. After mating the female enters the nest and seals it with mud and faeces collected by the male, staying there until the chicks are ready to fledge. The female lays 2-5 white eggs, which she incubates alone for around 24 days while receiving food from the male. The chicks are fed by the female, from food collected by the male, and fledge 50 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be thinly distributed across a wide range, but locally common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.