Horizocerus hartlaubi
The Western Dwarf Hornbill (*Horizocerus hartlaubi*) is a captivating small hornbill, measuring approximately 36 cm (14 inches) in length and weighing between 120-160 grams. Its plumage is predominantly glossy black, starkly contrasted by a clean white belly, distinctive white outer tail feathers, and prominent white spotting on its wing coverts, which create striking field marks. Males possess a small, ridge-like black casque atop their bill, while females are unique among their sex in the g...
Primarily found in primary and mature secondary moist evergreen rainforests, typically inhabiting lowland and occasionally submontane regions up to 1200 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, consuming a wide variety of arthropods like caterpillars, beetles, mantises, and crickets; also takes small vertebrates (lizards, frogs) and some fruits. Forages by gleaning and probing.
This diurnal species is highly arboreal, spending most of its time in the forest canopy and sub-canopy. It employs an active foraging strategy, gleaning insects and small vertebrates from foliage, bark, and crevices. Western Dwarf Hornbills are frequently observed joining mixed-species foraging f...
The Western Dwarf Hornbill has a widespread distribution across the moist evergreen rainforests of West and Central Africa. Its breeding and resident range extends from Sierra Leone and Liberia eastward through Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria. Further into Central Africa, it is found...
Least Concern
- It is one of the smallest hornbill species in Africa, measuring only about 36 cm (14 inches) in length. - The female exhibits a remarkable nesting strategy, sealing herself into a tree cavity using a mix of mud, food pulp, and droppings. - During her immurement, the male tirelessly provisions h...