Von der Decken's Hornbill
Tockusdeckeni
Photographed at
Reid Zoo, Tucson, Arizona Mar 2010
The Von der Decken's hornbill measures approximately
17-20 inches and has mainly white plumage on its body with black wings and a
tail. The male has a red and ivory two-tone bill. The female has a black bill.
Neither the male nor the female have a hollow outgrowth casque on their bill
During incubation, the female lays two or three white eggs
in a tree hole, which is blocked off with cement made of mud, droppings and fruit pulp. There is only
one narrow aperture, just big enough for the male to transfer food to the
mother and the chicks.
When the chicks and the female are too big to fit in
the nest, the mother breaks out and rebuilds the wall, and then both parents
feed the chicks.
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