Dark plumage and a lively group
Dark brown plumage, a bushy crest and blue bare skin around the eye distinguish this hornbill. The tail is grey-brown with a broad dark end. Birds travel in mobile groups, making short flights between neighbouring crowns. Their communal squawking may carry through dense forest while the birds themselves remain hidden among leaves. The male's bill is black; the female's is yellow with a black base. Juveniles have an olive-green bill and yellow skin around the eye, so the blue skin of an adult is not a reliable marker at every age.
Sources & references · 1
IUCN SSC Hornbill Specialist Group · Bushy-crested Hornbill accountFruit and active hunting
Fruit forms much of the diet, but this is also an active hunter. Birds inspect foliage and probe bark for insects, frogs and lizards. Group members can cooperate to pursue prey or displace other hornbills from a fruiting tree. Closed forest with varied fruit trees supplies both plant food and sheltered surfaces where animal prey can be found.
Sources & references · 2
IUCN SSC Hornbill Specialist Group · Bushy-crested Hornbill accountCIFOR · Meijaard et al. 2005 Life after logging, bird ecology summariesHelpers at the nest
Cooperative breeding extends the group's activities to the nest. In observations with the Thailand Hornbill Project, the breeding male and several helpers brought food to the enclosed female and chicks. A nest cavity has also been documented in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan. This Near Threatened species needs mature forest trees; clearing a hollow-bearing tree removes a breeding resource shared by the group.
