Silver-Cheeked
Hornbill
(Bycanistes brevis)
Photographed at
Bird Kingdom, Niagara Canada Mar 2010
The Silver-cheeked Hornbill is a large
bird at (30 to 31 in) in length with a very large creamy casque on the beak.
The female has a smaller casque and reddish skin around the eyes. The head is
silver-grey and the rest of the plumage is iridescent black, except for the
white rump.
Silver-cheeked
Hornbills are residents of the tall evergreen forests of Africa. In Zimbabwe,
it is threatened by habitat destruction and its presence in South Africa is
marginal, but it remains locally fairly common, especially in the northern and
central parts of its range.
Usually they live in
pairs and sometimes roost in flocks of hundreds of individuals. This hornbill
feeds on fruits, insects, small birds, rodents, small reptiles and centipedes.
They breed in spring
(September and October; at least in part of its range) and lay clutches of 1 to
3 white eggs, incubated for 40 days. The young remain with both parents for about 80 days.
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