Silvery-cheeked Hornbill

Scientific Name: Bycanistes brevis

Category: bird

Silvery-cheeked Hornbill

Brief Description

A large, blackish hornbill with a massive cream-colored casque on its beak and silvery feathers on its face.

Characteristics

Large size (up to 75cm long); primarily black plumage with white on the lower back and tail. It features a massive, creamy-white casque atop a large, curved beak. Feathers on the cheeks have silvery tips.

Habitat

Tall evergreen and riparian forests, as well as woodlands and plantations.

When to Find It

Diurnal; most active during the day. Breeding occurs during the wet season.

Conservation Status

Least Concern (IUCN)

Ecological Role

A critical seed disperser for many tropical forest trees, capable of carrying large seeds over long distances in its digestive tract.

Easily Confused With

Trumpeter Hornbill (Bycanistes bucinator), which is smaller and lacks the massive creamy-white casque of the adult Silvery-cheeked.

Observation Tips

Listen for their loud, raucous braying calls and the 'whooshing' sound of their wings in flight due to the lack of under-wing coverts.

Interesting Facts

During nesting, the female seals herself inside a tree cavity using mud and droppings, leaving only a narrow slit through which the male feeds her for several months.