Crowned hornbill

The crowned hornbill (Lophoceros alboterminatus) is an African hornbill.

Crowned hornbill
Adult male at Ndumo Game Reserve in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Bucerotiformes
Family:	Bucerotidae
Genus:	Lophoceros
Species:	L. alboterminatus
Binomial name
Lophoceros alboterminatus Büttikofer, 1889
approximate distribution (range extends to the southern Cape)
Synonyms
Lophoceros alboterminatus

Description

It is a medium-sized bird, 50–54 centimetres (20–21 in) in length, and is characterized by its white belly and black back and wings. The tips of the long tail feathers are white. The eyes are yellow; the beak is red and presents a stocky casque on the upper mandible. In females, the casque is smaller. The crowned hornbill can be distinguished from the similar Bradfield's hornbill by its shorter beak.

Habitat

The crowned hornbill is a common resident of the coastal and riverine forests of southern (only the eastern coast) to northeastern Africa.

Diet

It forages mainly in trees, where it feeds on insects (often caught in flight), small rodents, small reptiles, eggs, seeds and fruits. This hornbill species can be seen in flocks, usually in the dry season. Four to five white eggs are incubated for 25 to 30 days; the juveniles remain with both parents for about 8 weeks.