Rhinoceros hornbill symbol12/9/2023 But then there’s the hornbill twist: they use a pungent mixture of mud, feces, and smashed food to create a plaster to close up the opening to the nest. During breeding season, the pair chooses an open cavity in a tree or cliff face, and they line it with a deep layer of nesting material. Most species are monogamous, and bonded pairs defend their selected territory. When it comes to nesting and raising chicks, hornbills once again prove to be exceptional. In fact, that’s another hornbill oddity: several species have a gland at the base of the tail that secretes colored oils, and as they preen, the color is transferred to and absorbed into the bill. The bill is often marked with furrows, grooves, and serrations, and some are brightly colored. For most species, though, the casque seems to serve as a social signal and sign of maturity, and it is usually larger in males than in females.Īs distinctive as the casque is, the bill itself is a versatile tool that the birds use for picking fruit or capturing prey-including small items like tiny figs or insects, which require dexterous manipulation-digging in leaf litter, bark, or soil gathering nesting material and preening their feathers. One species takes that to the extreme: the helmeted hornbill’s casque is a solid block, about 10 percent of the bird’s weight, and males use it in bouts of aerial jousting, head-butting one another in flight to see which is more dominant. It is made of bony material covered in layers of keratin, which in some species form huge cylinders or impressive high crests that are mostly hollow but supported by a network of bony struts inside. It’s what these birds are named for, including the family name, Buceros, meaning “cow horn.” The casque runs along the top of the bill and often extends onto the skull. It’s hard to miss it: the hornbill’s most distinctive feature is its large, curved beak and the ridge or crest that adorns it, known as a casque. They use their heavy, sharp bill to catch and kill their meal, and then use the forceps-like bill tips to toss the prey up and into their mouth-the “throw and gulp” method. They forage in the grass and vegetation, grabbing up animal prey like insects, snails, spiders, lizards, snakes, tortoises, and sometimes even squirrels and hares. The ground hornbills’ diet is quite different, as well: they are carnivores. While they can fly, unlike their forest relatives they prefer to walk, and they have the long, strong legs, shorter toes, and padded feet to do it. They are the largest hornbills, with males weighing from 8 to 13 pounds and measuring over 3 feet in length, and they spend their time on the ground, stalking through the African savanna. Like most hornbills, northern ground hornbills Bucorvus abyssinicus are monogamous and form bonded breeding pairs.Īmong these already exceptional birds, two species are further exceptions: the southern and northern ground hornbills. The calls differ between the species, including whistles, raucous cackles, hooting and howling, and drawn-out roars that can be heard over long distances. Their wings aren’t the only thing that gives them away, though-they have a variety of loud calls they use to communicate with one another. They are noisy fliers, and because of the whooshing sound of their feathers, they are often heard before they are seen. Like many forest-dwelling birds, hornbills have broad, rounded wings. And hornbills can eat a lot of fruit-the larger species consume nearly 1.5 pounds a day, which is 20 to 30 percent of their body weight! Some tropical forest hornbill species feed exclusively on fruit, while others enjoy some insect and small animal protein in their diet, as well. These birds play an important role in their ecosystem: they’ve been called the “farmers of the forest,” because they disperse seeds from the fruit they eat far and wide, which allows new trees to grow. Most are forest dwellers, living in the tree canopy and feasting on many types of fruit. Hornbills are a varied bunch of birds, with 54 species found in Africa and Asia. Whether it’s their prominent bills and crests, their colorful feathers and markings, their unique breeding strategy, or their noisy and active lifestyle, there is much about hornbills to inspire wonder, admiration, and respect. They are an important part of community rituals and ceremonies, and they are depicted in art and heraldry. They are seen as messengers between humans and the spirit world, thought to be harbingers of rain, and considered a symbol of strength and success.
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