Buceros rhinoceros
The Rhinoceros Hornbill lives in Southeast Asia, in Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, and Java. Its beak and casque are naturally white but during the lifetime of the bird are colored orange and red, due to the constant rubbing of the beak against a gland beneath its tail, which exudes an orange-red fluid. Its food is primarily fruit and it is especially fond of figs. Pairs inhabit the tops of the tallest trees. As it flies overhead the wings make a surprisingly loud strenuous "chuffling" that reminds one of a laboring locomotive. The population of the Rhinoceros hornbill is in decline, except in a few reserves, with less than 500 individuals remaining in Java and less than 2,500 in Kalimantan.
Picture taken in the zoo of Toledo, Ohio, in August 2003.
Genus Buceros
Family Bucerotidae
Order Bucerotiformes
Class Aves
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
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