Helmeted Hornbill
Rhinoplax vigil
Bizarre-looking bird, now very rare due to poaching for the ivory-like material of its bill. When perched, its most recognizable feature is the naked throat pouch which resembles an undercooked steak, chalky white in the female and dull scarlet in the male. When in flight, its long trailing central tail feathers easily distinguish it from any other hornbill. Scarce and difficult to see; listen for its far-carrying maniacal laugh in mature lowland and foothill forests.
Identification
It has mostly blackish plumage, except that the belly and legs are white and the tail is white with a black band near the tip of each feather. The tail is long and the two central tail feathers are much longer than the others, giving the bird a total length greater than that of any other hornbill species. The body length is 110–120 cm (43–47 in), not counting the tail feathers, which boost the length a further 50 cm (20 in). One male weighed 3.1 kg (6.8 lb) in weight while two females averaged about 2.7 kg (6.0 lb). Although sometimes considered the largest Asian hornbill, their body weight appears to be similar to that of the great hornbill (and considerably less than the African ground hornbills).<p>This species has a bare, wrinkled throat patch, pale blue to greenish in females and red in males. The casque goes from the base of the bill halfway to the tip, where it ends abruptly. It and the bill are yellow; the red secretion of the preen gland covers the sides and top of the casque and the base of the bill, but often leaves the front end of the casque and the distal half of the bill yellow. Unlike other hornbills, the helmeted hornbill's casque is solid, and the skull including the casque and bill may constitute 10 percent of the bird's weight.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Rhinoplax vigil
- Authority
- (Pennant, 1781)
- Order
- Bucerotiformes
- Family
- Bucerotidae
- Genus
- Rhinoplax
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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Graceful songbird of well-shaded forests, particularly stream gullies; often in more open habitat in migration. Stunning breeding male purplish-black above and white below, with a short crest, neon-blue eyerings, and long black tail streamers. Female and non-breeding male have dark gray head and chest, paler eyering, shorter crest, and chestnut-brown wings and tail, without streamers. Compare with female and non-breeding male Amur and Blyth’s paradise-flycatchers, with which Black overlaps on its Southeast Asian wintering grounds. Note Black’s contiguous dark gray throat and chest (Amur has a more sharply-demarcated black throat and gray chest), dull darkish wings (Blyth’s has brighter rufous wings), and fairly clean demarcation between gray breast and white belly (Blyth’s has a more gradual fade). Song a run-on series of coarse whistles; call a rough, nasal “bee.”
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Himalayan Griffon
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A regal raptor of steppes, valleys, and mountainous regions, this large scavenger is fairly common throughout most of its range. Adult is sandy brown with a pale, featherless head. When in flight, the bird has black primaries and a small-headed, squared-winged appearance. Usually seen singly or in small groups; gathers in large flocks at a carcass. The principal scavenger at Tibetan sky burials.
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