She enjoys eating grapes, blueberries and a special Mazuri Softbill gel, which resembles white jello (unless Chef Yohn adds some fun color to it), but is a yummy treat formulated with the species’ specific vitamins and nutrients.
Oona, our female hornbill is 12 years old and was born at the Phoenix Zoo. The Virginia Zoo contributes annually to several conservation projects that aim to prevent this species, and other hornbill species, from going extinct.Īt the Virginia Zoo, there are two rhino hornbills. Threats to this species include forest destruction in the Sundaic lowlands of Indonesia that have been extensive as a result of commercial and illegal logging, as well as agricultural development. Rhino hornbills are listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. They are primarily arboreal and spend their entire lives in trees, never going down to the ground. They are native to dense rainforests in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. For the next three months, the parents feed the chicks through the tiny slit until they are old enough to break out of the nest on their own and fly the coop.įood for rhino hornbills consists of fruits, nuts, some insects and small animals including lizards and smaller birds. Once hatched, she breaks out of the cavity and reseals the nest, keeping the chicks safely inside. Once the setting is just right, the male will help seal the female inside of the nest by using food, mud and bird droppings, leaving only a small slit that will be used by the the male to feed his mate and, if successful, their chicks.įor 50 days, the female is encapsulated in the nest, incubating one to two eggs until they hatch. Once the pair breed, they will pick a hollow tree to build a nest. They mate for life and often have bonding rituals that consist of sharing food. For rhino hornbills, you can tell males and females apart by looking at their eyes – males will have a black-rimmed red eye, while females have a red-rimmed white eye.Ĭourtship for these birds is serious business. Males and females are sexually dimorphic, meaning they have a feature to tell the different sexes apart. This species of hornbill is one of the largest in Asia, growing to be up to 50 inches in height and weighing up to six pounds. The species earned its name from this predominant facial feature and the casque is actually made of keratin, just like in human hair and fingernails! The horn is naturally creamy-white but becomes yellowish-orange from the bird rubbing it against a gland under the its tail. On top of the white beak is a beautifully colored yellowish-orange casque, which is a helmet-like structure that aids in amplifying the bird’s calls. The most striking feature isn’t their feathers, but what’s protruding from their face. Once you do lay eyes upon them, you’ll see exactly why the species has its name.Ī rhino hornbill is covered in jet black feathers and has a white tail with a single black stripe. No, it’s not the mammal you are familiar with, but instead another kind of gentle giant and one that is rarely seen in the wild.
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