Anthracoceros coronatus
The Malabar Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus) is a striking, medium-sized avian resident of the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka. Measuring about 65 cm (26 inches) in length and weighing around 1 kg (2.2 lbs), it boasts glossy black plumage contrasted sharply with a bright white belly and vent, and distinctive white outer tail feathers. Its most prominent feature is the enormous, banana-yellow bill topped with a prominent casque, which is mostly yellow with a black base and sides, serv...
Found in moist deciduous forests, evergreen forests, teak plantations, and cultivated areas with large, mature trees, generally at lower elevations up to 700-1000m.
Primarily frugivorous, especially favoring figs, but also omnivorous, consuming insects, small reptiles, amphibians, bird eggs, and nestlings. They forage mainly by plucking food from tree branches.
Malabar Pied Hornbills are diurnal, spending their days high in the canopy foraging for food, often roosting communally in tall trees at dusk. Their foraging strategy primarily involves arboreal fruit plucking, though they are opportunistic omnivores, gleaning insects and small vertebrates from b...
The Malabar Pied Hornbill is primarily resident across peninsular India and Sri Lanka, showcasing a generally non-migratory distribution. In India, its range encompasses the Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, and extends into parts of central India, though its distribution is often fragmented. Signifi...
Near Threatened
- The female Malabar Pied Hornbill seals herself inside the nest cavity using mud, droppings, and chewed wood pulp, creating a narrow slit through which the male feeds her and the chicks. - This unique "muraling" behavior protects the incubating female and her young from predators, ensuring a hig...