Congo Pied Hornbill
Lophoceros fasciatus
A small though long-tailed hornbill that is frequently encountered as it flies singly or in groups over the canopy, between forest gaps, and over road cuts. Distinctive, with a bright white belly and a black head, body, wings, and tail, giving it a bicolored appearance. Similar to West African Pied Hornbill, but usually separated by range, and the sides of the tail are mostly white (instead of having white corners), and the bill is pale yellow with a dark red (rather than black) tip. Calls are a series of high-pitched whistles: “heu heu heu heu.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Lophoceros fasciatus
- Authority
- (Shaw, 1812)
- Order
- Bucerotiformes
- Family
- Bucerotidae
- Genus
- Lophoceros
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Congo pied hornbill is omnivorous and eats fruit and insects. It feeds mainly in trees and is attracted to oil palms.<p>This conspicuous and gregarious bird advertises its presence with its whistling pii-pii-pii-pii- call.<p>When the chicks and the female are too big to fit in the nest, the mother breaks out and rebuilds the wall. Then both parents feed the chicks.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Cassin's Vireo
Vireo cassinii
Fairly dull vireo, intermediate between Blue-headed and Plumbeous. Grayish-olive overall, but with yellowish flanks and greenish back. Note white spectacles contrasting with gray head and two whitish wingbars. Breeds in mixed coniferous forests, especially in mountainous areas; winters in Mexico. Often separable from Blue-headed and Plumbeous Vireos by range, but can overlap during migration and winter. Cassin's is less contrasty than Blue-headed, especially between the gray face and whitish throat, and the greenish back blends into the nape and crown. Some birds are best left unidentified.
Large-billed Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus orinus
Poorly known, small gray-brown bird with a large bill, a flat forehead, and a short, pale supercilium. Extremely similar to Blyth’s Reed Warbler, but the Large-billed Reed Warbler has a longer bill, longer legs, and slightly shorter wings. Breeds in damp scrubland at high altitudes. Migratory range and habitats are unclear. Song said to be faster, more complex than that of the Blyth’s Reed Warbler.
Tropical Shearwater
Puffinus bailloni
Small shearwater of the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans, where it breeds on barren and rocky atolls and islets, venturing offshore to feed. Dark blackish brown above and white below; this combination of pattern and size distinctive within range. Similar to Sargasso Shearwater of the Atlantic, which has more extensive white on the face, and somewhat similar to larger Manx Shearwater and smaller Little Shearwater, but Tropical has mottled dark undertail coverts (white in Manx and Little).
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.