A Curious Collection of Peculiar Creatures

These giant, eye-catching birds are one of the largest species of hornbill and can reach 4 feet (120 cm) tall—and that doesn’t include their tail feathers. Those feathers can measure up to 1.5 feet (50 cm) long on their own!

Their horns are around 1 foot (30 cm) long on average and weigh in at around 6.5 pounds (3 kg) for males and 6 pounds (2.5 kg) for females—that’s 10 percent of the birds’ total body weight.

Helmeted hornbills use these horns, also known as casques, to defend their mates, eggs, and territory from other hornbills. This species is sexually dimorphic: The females have a pale blue wrinkled neck pouch, whereas the males’ neck pouch is deep burgundy.

Native to the Southeast Asian countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Borneo, Myanmar, Sumatra, and Brunei, these birds live high up in the trees of lowland, semievergreen, or evergreen forests. The trees they prefer will have high branches for the males to keep watch from, and suitable nesting nooks for the females.

Despite their fierce-looking beaks, these hornbills feast mainly on fruit. They’re excellent seed dispersers—they don’t digest the seeds from the fruit they eat, instead distributing them around the forest through their droppings.

They’ve also been spotted eating small animals, like snakes and insects, and even large birds, including their fellow hornbills!

Unfortunately, this irreplaceable species may become extinct in the near future. Large portions of their habitat have been cleared for logging and palm oil plantations, and they are hunted for their unique horns, which are made of a material people call “red ivory.” Their casques are used to make jewelry and ornaments and can be sold for large sums of money.

In 2013, as many as 6,000 hornbills were killed for trade purposes in West Kalimantan in Borneo. Although hunting the helmeted hornbill has been illegal for years, and is punishable by up to five years in prison, these amazing birds are still killed and traded. To save this species from extinction, people must enforce these laws and initiate projects to help the birds recover.

Fun Facts

There are 60 species of hornbill, but this is the only one with a solid casque. The casque is made entirely of keratin and is fused to the bird’s skull.
The Bornean Dayak tribe believes these birds are messengers from the gods, and so killing them is forbidden.
Mating couples seal their nesting hollows with their own poo to protect the female and her babies.
When they fight, helmeted hornbills sometimes fly directly into one another and crash heads, creating a sound that can be heard over 325 feet (100 m) away.
If they eat too many fermented figs, they can get tipsy!