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Black Hornbill - BirdForum Opus

(Redirected from Anthracoceros malayanus)
Male, a variant with white/greyish supercilium
Photo © by TSWong
Tawau, Sabah, September 2006

Alternative names: Asian Black Hornbill; Malay Black Hornbill

Anthracoceros malayanus

Identification

Female
Photo © by dixonlau
Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, 14 November 2021

60-65cm (23½-25½) A medium-sized, blackish hornbill.

Male

  • Black plumage
  • Long tail with broad white tips on outer tail feathers
  • White or pale grey superciliary stripe, variable, can also be dark grey or absent
  • Pale yellow bill and casque
  • Blue-black bare skin around eye and small throat patch

Female

  • Smaller than male
  • Black bill and smaller casque
  • Yellowish-flesh to pinkish circumorbital skin
  • Yellow-buff throat patch

Juveniles with smaller, pale green bill, small casque and dull greyish supercilium.

Distribution

Juvenile; female left, male right
Photo © by darwin1601
Sepilok, Sabah, Borneo, October 2018

From southern Thailand to Malaysia and on Sumatra and Borneo.
Locally still common but threatened by habitat loss.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species.[1]
Subspecies deminutus is usually considered invalid[2]

Habitat

Lowland primary evergreen forest. Usually below 200m.

Behaviour

Only rarely seen in flocks.

Diet

Young adult male
Photo © by SeeToh
Pekan Quarry, Pulau Ubin, Singapore, August 2015

Feeds mainly on fruit but takes also grasshoppers, locusts, small reptiles and amphibians. Catches also bats.
Forages in middle and lower levels of forest.

Breeding

Little known. Nests in a natural cavity or an old woodpecker hole in a tree.

Vocalisation

Not as noisy as the other Hornbills

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Avibase
  3. 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
  4. London Zoo
  5. Birdforum Member observations

Recommended Citation

External Links


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