Trumpeter Hornbill

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Trumpeter Hornbill
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Coraciiformes Family: Bucerotidae Genus: Ceratogymna Species: C. bucinator
Binomial name
Ceratogymna bucinator Temminck, 1824

The Trumpeter Hornbill, Ceratogymna bucinator is a medium-sized hornbill, with length between 58 to 65 cm, characterized by a large grey casque on the bill, smaller in females. The eyes are brown or red, with pink surrounding skin. They are similar to Silvery-cheeked Hornbill. Distinguishing features include an all-black back, white belly and white underwing coverts (in flight, wings present white tips), and red facial skin.

The Trumpeter hornbill is a gregarious bird, living in flocks of 2 to 5 individuals, sometimes up to 50. This hornbill is a locally common resident of the evergreen, coastal forests of Mozambique, Botswana, Congo, Kenya, the Caprivi strip of Namibia and eastern South Africa, where it feeds on fruits and large insects. Like other hornbills, the females incubate 4 to 5 white eggs, while sealed in the nest compartment.

When and fed in captivity they are tame loving birds that can be taught a variety of tricks, and enjoy companiionship with their owner. They require large spacious cages to move about in because of their active nature and care needs to be taken in their high fruit diet, and their sensitivity to hemochromotosis. They are very intelligent and have a life expectancy of up to 20 years.

Widespread throughout its large range, the Trumpeter Hornbill is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

[edit] References

• BirdLife International (2004). Bycanistes bucinator. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 16 January 2007. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

[edit] External links

• BirdLife Species Factsheet
• IUCN Red List