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Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros hinoceros)

The largest of the hornbill family, the rhinoceros hornbill is found throughout mainland Southeast Asia, Borneo, Sumatra and Java. It is noted for the loud ‘whooshing’ sound of its huge wings, which have a span of a metre or more, and its loud, harsh call. The Iban people of Sarawak believed the rhinoceros hornbill was the messenger of the gods, and it still enjoys an exalted status as Sarawak’s state emblem.

Exclusively fruit eaters, hornbills mate for life and their nesting habits are unique. The incubating female seals herself into her tree hole nest with mud, leaving only a small aperture through which food is passed by the male. When the young hatch the female breaks out, but reseals the nest and helps to feed the young until they are ready to leave the nest.