Eastern Long-tailed Hornbill
Horizocerus cassini
A small-bodied hornbill with an extremely long tail, a dark bill, and a puffy white crest. Usually found in thick rainforest, where it can be difficult to view. At times, these birds will follow troops of monkeys to eat animals they scare out of the foliage. Vocalizations are unique among African hornbills, including crowlike caws and long mournful wails. Calls can be similar to those of Congo Serpent-Eagle, but Eastern Long-tailed Hornbill often gives more of a wail with a somewhat raspy quality.
Identification
The eastern long-tailed hornbill (Horizocerus cassini) is a species of bird in the hornbill family Bucerotidae found in humid forests of West Africa. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the western long-tailed hornbill (Horizocerus albocristatus) with the English name "white-crested hornbill".
Taxonomy
The eastern long-tailed hornbill was formally described in 1903 by the German naturalist Otto Finsch based on a specimen from Gabon in West Africa. He coined the binomial name Ortholophus cassini. The specific epithet was chosen to honour the American ornithologist John Cassin. The species is now placed in the genus Horizocerus that was introduced in 1899 by the American ornithologist Harry C. Oberholser. The eastern long-tailed hornbill was formerly considered to be conspecific with the western long-tailed hornbill (Horizocerus albocristatus) with the English name "white-crested hornbill".
- Scientific name
- Horizocerus cassini
- Authority
- (Finsch, 1903)
- Order
- Bucerotiformes
- Family
- Bucerotidae
- Genus
- Horizocerus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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