Oriental Pied Hornbill

The oriental pied hornbill is a medium size frugivore with a head-to-tail length of 55–60 cm (22–24 in) and a wingspan of 23–36 cm (9.1–14.2 in). The bill measures 19 cm (7.5 in) for males and 16 cm (6.3 in) for females. It can weigh between 600 and 1,050 g (21 and 37 oz), averaging 900 g (32 oz) for males and 875 g (30.9 oz) for females. The plumage of the head, neck, back, wings and upper breast is black with a slight green sheen. The tail is black with white tips on all the feathers except the central feathers (rectories). The plumage of their lower breast, lower abdomen, thighs, under-wing and all the tips of the wings except the three basal secondaries and two outer primaries is white, as is the circumorbital skin around the eyes and on the throat skin. A blue tinge can sometimes be noticed on the throat of adults. Casques of mature oriental pied hornbills are laterally flattened "cylinders", which may form a protruding horn. Males and females are similar in coloration. Males can be distinguished from females by their larger body size, yellow bill, which has a black base, and bright red eyes. Females have a slightly smaller body size, a yellow bill and casque with a partly black, browned patched mandible, and grayish-brown eyes. Juvenile oriental pied hornbills resemble the adults, but have an undeveloped casque and a smaller bill. …

The oriental pied hornbill has the largest distribution of the genus and occurs in the Indian subcontinent and throughout Southeast Asia. Its range encompasses eastern and northern India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and the Sunda shelf islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests including dry and semi-evergreen forests, dry and moist deciduous forests, subtropical broadleaf forests, secondary forests, plantations and woodlands.

Hornbills are predominantly frugivores. The oriental pied hornbill's diet consists of wild fruits such as figs (Ficus spp.), melanoxylon berries, rambutans, palm fruit, papaya and fruits of liana plants. It will also take large insects (grasshoppers), small birds (finches), small reptiles (lizards and snakes), amphibians such as frogs, fish, and bats. Its diet differs slightly between the breeding and non-breeding season. During the non-breeding season, oriental pied hornbills feed more on non-fig fruit such as small sized berries, drupes, arillate capsules and lianas (woody vines), however the availability of these food items is lower in the breeding season, which suggests that the species increases its habitat range during that time. They were also observed predating on nests of other birds and preying on eggs and hatchlings. They also tend to feed in flocks during the non breeding season. When foraging for food, they tend to select a few common species of fruit trees. They show a preference towards trees belonging to the families Annonaceae, Meliaceae and Myristicaceae. Other target species include Rourea minor, Polyalthia viridis, Cinnamomum subavenium, Trichosanthes tricuspidata, and many others. Feeding on a diversity of fruits ensure that nutritional requirements are met. …