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The Blyth’s Hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus), also known as the Papuan Hornbill, is a large and impressive bird native to forests in the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, and parts of northern Australia. It is recognizable by its large, curved bill with a prominent casque on top, a typical feature of hornbills. The male Blyth’s Hornbill has a white tail and a black body with orange or brownish-yellow on the neck and head, while females are mostly black with a smaller casque.
These hornbills are frugivores, meaning their diet consists mainly of fruit, though they also consume small animals like insects, lizards, and other prey when available. They play a crucial role in seed dispersal, contributing to forest regeneration.
One unique aspect of hornbill behavior is their nesting practice. The female seals herself inside a tree cavity during the breeding season, leaving only a small hole through which the male feeds her and later the chicks, until the young are ready to emerge.
A huge, spectacular hornbill of lowland and foothill forest. All black body and white tail. Blue skin on the pouch below the bill and around the eye. Male is much larger with a rufous head and chest, whereas the female has a black head. A large, ivory-colored bill with a rippled casque on top. Presence often betrayed by loud wingbeats overhead.
Forages in the canopy for fruit and sometimes, small animal prey. Unmistakable. The only hornbill in its range. Voice, far-carrying, gruff barks, or grunts “gew! gew! gew!”.