African Pied Hornbill
Lophoceros fasciatus
Avilumen editorial team ·
The Congo pied hornbill is a bird of the hornbill family, a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World.
The Congo pied hornbill (Lophoceros fasciatus) is a bird of the hornbill family, a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World.
The Congo pied hornbill is native to the Congo Basin. This is a bird of mainly forest habitats. The female lays up to four white eggs in a tree hole, which is blocked off during incubation with a cement made of mud, droppings and fruit pulp. There is only one narrow aperture, just big enough for the male to transfer food to the mother and the chicks.
Morphology
This is a large bird, 54 centimetres (21 in) in length. It has mainly black plumage, with white belly and tail tip. The long, curved black and yellow bill has a medium-sized casque. The sexes are similar, but the female has a smaller casque. Immature birds are duller, have a smaller bill, and no casque. The flight is undulating.
Behaviour
The Congo pied hornbill is omnivorous and eats fruit and insects. It feeds mainly in trees and is attracted to oil palms.
This conspicuous and gregarious bird advertises its presence with its whistling pii-pii-pii-pii- call.
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.
Text adapted from Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Bucerotiformes
- Family
- Bucerotidae
- Genus
- Lophoceros
- Conservation status
- Least concern
Listen to its call
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Illustration gallery
6 illustrations of Lophoceros fasciatus (African Pied Hornbill) in different styles, true to its real plumage. Shown watermarked; the art pack includes the high-resolution originals, ready to print.
Watercolor 
Vintage plate 
Ink 
Oil 
Realistic 
Colored pencil
Illustrations based on the photograph by Francesco Veronesi (CC BY-SA 2.0), from Wikimedia Commons.
Digital editions
HD Digital Art Pack — African Pied Hornbill
Digital download: 6 high-resolution illustrations of the African Pied Hornbill (Lophoceros fasciatus), print-ready. This is a digital file; no animal or physical item is included.
AI Avatar — African Pied Hornbill
Generate an avatar fusing your face with the African Pied Hornbill (Lophoceros fasciatus). Delivered digitally in 8K, watermark-free. Digital product; no animals are sold or brokered.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is Lophoceros fasciatus (African Pied Hornbill) endangered?
- The IUCN Red List places Lophoceros fasciatus, commonly known as the African Pied Hornbill, in the «Least concern» category. «Least concern» means it is not currently threatened.
- Where does Lophoceros fasciatus (African Pied Hornbill) live?
- Lophoceros fasciatus (African Pied Hornbill) is found in Africa.
- What family does Lophoceros fasciatus (African Pied Hornbill) belong to?
- Lophoceros fasciatus (African Pied Hornbill) belongs to the family Bucerotidae, in the order Bucerotiformes.
- What colour is Lophoceros fasciatus (African Pied Hornbill)?
- The plumage of Lophoceros fasciatus (African Pied Hornbill) combines these colours: Black and White.
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