Alternative names: Laughing Hornbill; Whistling Hornbill; White-tailed Hornbill
- Bycanistes fistulator
Ceratogymna fistulator
Identification
45cm. A medium-smallish pied hornbill.
- Black head
- Black wings with white-tipped central secondaries, sharpii and duboisi with white on inner primaries and all secondaries
- Black tail with white tips to outer tail, sharpii and duboisi with all white outer tail
- Ridges bill and casque brownish with creamy base, sharpii and duboisi with less ridged, creamy bill, duboisi with larger casque
- White underparts
Juveniles similar to adults with smaller bill and no casque.
Distribution
Africa
Western Africa: Senegambia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast,
Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Uganda
Taxonomy
Subspecies[1]
- B. f. fistulator:
- Senegambia to Niger River
- B. f. sharpii:
- B. f. duboisi:
- Cameroon to northern Angola, Central African Republic and Uganda
This taxon is considered a subspecies of Trumpeter Hornbill by some authors[3].
It is sometimes included in Ceratogymna.
Habitat
Mangroves and humid forests
Behaviour
Feeds on fruit, takes also some insects.
Usually seen in family groups or small flocks.
Little known about breeding. Nests in a natural cavity 8-15m high in a tree. Lays 1-3 eggs.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- 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
- Avibase
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Piping Hornbill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Piping_Hornbill
