Black-casqued Hornbill
Mungos mungo
The Black-casqued Hornbill is a large black bird that inhabits African rainforests.
The male has a big black bill, while females have much smaller, paler bills with a brownish hood over their head and neck. The tail is long and black with a white tip, a feature that separates this species from other large hornbills within its range.
It is often seen or heard in the canopy while feeding in fruiting trees. By eating them, Black-casqued Hornbills help to disperse seeds throughout the forest.
Conservation
The Black-casqued Hornbill has been eliminated from many areas because of changes to its habitat and from hunting. In Cameroon, Congo, and Nigeria, it is the second most commonly reported species of bushmeat. Trade in hornbills (both live birds and remains, especially skulls), is also an increasing threat to many hornbill species.
Black-casqued Hornbill are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation of forests, as they are a sedentary, making it harder for them to move somewhere else.
- Species
- Black-casqued Hornbill
- Length
- 60-70 cm
- Weight
- 0.9–1.6 kg
- Eggs
- 1-2
- Range
- Common and widespread in Central and Eastern Africa and in a few localities in West Africa.
- Conservation status
- Not globally threatened (Least Concern)
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