hornbill

horn·bill

H0278100 (hôrn′bĭl′)n. Any of various birds of the family Bucerotidae of tropical Asia and Africa, having a very large bill often with an enlarged protuberance at the base.

hornbill

(ˈhɔːnˌbɪl) n (Animals) any bird of the family Bucerotidae of tropical Africa and Asia, having a very large bill with a basal bony protuberance: order Coraciiformes (kingfishers, etc)

horn•bill

(ˈhɔrnˌbɪl)

n. any of various large birds of the family Bucerotidae, of the Old World tropics, having a massive, curved bill, usu. with a horny protuberance. [1765–75]

Thesaurus

Noun

hornbill - bird of tropical Africa and Asia having a very large bill surmounted by a bony protuberance; related to kingfisherscoraciiform bird - chiefly short-legged arboreal nonpasserine birds that nest in holesBucerotidae, family Bucerotidae - hornbills

Translations

calao

hornbill

hornbill,

common name for members of the family Bucerotidae, Old World birds of tropical and subtropical forests, named for their enormous down-curved bills surmounted by grotesque horny casques. From 2 to 5 ft (61–152.5 cm) in length, they are the largest of an order that also includes the hoopoehoopoe
, common name for a shy, solitary, Old World woodland bird, Upupa epops. Its body color ranges from cinnamon to chestnut, with white-barred, black wings and tail, and a head topped by a prominent, erectile crest. Hoopoes measure from 10 1-2 to 12 in.
..... Click the link for more information. . Hornbills are black and dark brown with patches of white or cream on the body, wings, and tail. The bill is usually brownish, though in some species it is black, red, or yellow.

Omnivorous, hornbills eat fruits, berries, insects, and small animals. They have loud, far-carrying voices and a variety of calls, including brays, toots, bellows, and cackles. They are noted for their unusual nesting habits; presumably as a defense against monkeys and snakes, the female is sealed into the nesting cavity by the male, who feeds her through a bill-sized aperture for a period of from 6 weeks to 3 months while she incubates the eggs. This practice, and the fact that hornbills mate for life, has made them the subject of superstition among native tribes, who use them (or representations of them) in religious rituals as symbols of purity and fidelity.

The great hornbill, Buceros bicornis, ranges from India to Indochina and Sumatra. The helmeted hornbill, Rhinoplax vigil, found on the Malay Peninsula and the islands Sumatra and Borneo, has a casque that has been used an alternative for ivory, and illegal hunting for its casque and habitat loss have endangered the species.

Hornbills are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Bucerotiformes (or, according to some authorities, Coraciiformes), families Bucerotidae and Bucorvidae.

hornbill

any bird of the family Bucerotidae of tropical Africa and Asia, having a very large bill with a basal bony protuberance: order Coraciiformes (kingfishers, etc.)

hornbill

horn·bill

hornbill

horn•bill

hornbill

hornbill,

hornbill

hornbill

Words related to hornbill

noun bird of tropical Africa and Asia having a very large bill surmounted by a bony protuberance

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