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Berenicornis
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White-crowned Hornbill Berenicornis comatus Scientific name definitions

Alan C. Kemp and Peter F. D. Boesman
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated May 12, 2014

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

75–80 cm; young male 1250–1360 g, female 1470 g. Large hornbill with tall spiky crest, black back, wings and thighs; long, graduated white tail and white tips to wing feathers distinctive. Male has white head, crest, neck and underparts; black bill with yellowish wash at base, low casque blackish; bare skin around eye and on throat blue. Female smaller, also white crest, but face, neck and whole body black. Juvenile all black, but for broad white tip to tail, white tips to head, neck and breast feathers giving overall grey appearance, bill dull yellow, bare skin greyish.

Systematics History

Thought by some to be closely related to Horizocerus albocristatus, which is sometimes included in present genus, but plumage and voice markedly distinct within context of family. Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

S Myanmar (S Tenasserim) and SW Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo; recorded in SW Cambodia.

Habitat

Inhabits primary lowland evergreen forest; extends into adjacent plantations and dense secondary growth; usually below 900 m, but up to 1680 m.

Movement

Apparently sedentary and territorial.

Diet and Foraging

Large proportion of animal food, including insects, snakes, lizards and small birds; also various fruits, mainly lipid-rich drupes and capsules, with some figs. Forages in dense tangled growth, usually at lower levels or on ground; spends much time digging among bark, stems and debris for animal food.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

A series of owl-like hoots with several variations, but typically starts with a few single hoots and continues with a more rhythmic triple hoot “hooo..hooo..hooo..whu-hu-hooo..whu-hu-hooo...”.

Breeding

Little known. Lays aseasonally, in Jan, Mar, Jun, Oct and Dec. Co-operative in groups of 3–8 birds, which keep in contact with mellow cooing notes; only dominant female breeds, and chases off other females in group. Probably two eggs, but usually only single chick raised; no information on incubation and fledging periods.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife EN Endangered

ENDANGERED. CITES II. Previously considered Near Threatened. Generally uncommon, although tends to be inconspicuous and easily overlooked; in places survives in small forest patches with home range of 1–10 km². Very few individuals remain in Thailand, where species now endangered, and rare in Malay Peninsula; population recently discovered in Cambodia. Recorded from several protected areas, e.g. Gunung Leuser and Way Kambas National Parks (Sumatra), but rather rarely observed throughout range.

Distribution of the White-crowned Hornbill - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the White-crowned Hornbill

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Kemp, A. C. and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). White-crowned Hornbill (Berenicornis comatus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whchor2.01
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