Horizocerus cassini
The Eastern Long-tailed Hornbill (Horizocerus cassini) is a distinctive, small-to-medium sized hornbill endemic to the African rainforests, immediately recognizable by its glossy black plumage, contrasting white lower belly and vent, and an impressively elongated, graduated tail featuring prominent white outer rectrices. Averaging 50-60 cm in total length, with its tail comprising a significant portion, and weighing 200-300g, it possesses a unique, modest casque atop its bill. Males feature a...
Dense tropical rainforests, secondary forests, and gallery forests are its primary habitat. It inhabits lowlands up to approximately 1,500 meters in elevation.
It primarily feeds on insects, including caterpillars, beetles, and orthopterans, supplemented by small reptiles, amphibians, and some fruits. Its main foraging method involves arboreal gleaning and snatching from foliage.
The Eastern Long-tailed Hornbill is a diurnal and generally shy inhabitant of the forest canopy, often observed in pairs or small family groups. Its daily routine revolves around foraging, typically gleaning insects and small vertebrates from branches and foliage, sometimes descending to lower st...
The Eastern Long-tailed Hornbill is a non-migratory resident across a broad swathe of West and Central Africa. Its breeding range encompasses countries including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana in West Africa, extending through Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Repu...
Least Concern
- The female Eastern Long-tailed Hornbill famously seals herself inside a tree cavity during nesting, relying entirely on the male to bring her and the chicks food through a narrow slit. - It is one of the smallest hornbill species found in Africa, with its body length dwarfed by many of its larg...