Alternative names: Great Helmeted Hornbill; Solid-billed Hornbill
- Rhinoplax vigil
Buceros vigil
Identification
Blackish plumage, belly and legs are white and the tail is white with each feather having a black band near the tip. The tail is long and the two central tail feathers are much longer than the others, up to 1 m, giving the bird a length up to 160 cm, the longest among hornbills.
Bare, wrinkled throat patch, blue in females and red in males. The yellow casque goes from the base of the bill halfway to the tip. The bill is yellow.
Distribution
Southern Myanmar, southern Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo (Indonesia), and Brunei1.
Extinct in Singapore. Still not uncommon in its range but has suffered from forest loss.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Some authorities place this species in the genus Buceros.
Habitat
Lowland forest.
Status
Classified as Near Threatened in the 2008 IUCN Red List1.
Behaviour
Diet includes fruit, especially figs.
Breeding little known. Nests in a natural hole in a tall tree, the entrance is sealed with mud and food remains. Usually one chick raised.
References
- BirdLife International. 2008. Species factsheet: Rhinoplax vigil. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 23/7/2008.
- Dickinson EC (ed.) 2003. The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. 3rd ed. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. ISBN 9780691117010
- Gill F & Wright M. 2008. Birds of the World: Recommended English Names. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, USA. 2006. ISBN 9780691128276 Update (2008) downloaded from [1].
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 2001. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 6: Mousebirds to Hornbills. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334306
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Helmeted Hornbill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Helmeted_Hornbill
