Bycanistes albotibialis
The White-thighed Hornbill (Bycanistes albotibialis) is a striking, large-bodied avian resident of West-Central Africa's lowland evergreen forests, renowned for its distinctive appearance and vocalizations. This magnificent bird measures approximately 60-70 cm (24-28 inches) in length, with a wingspan that can reach up to 100 cm (39 inches), and typically weighs between 1.0 and 1.5 kg (2.2-3.3 lbs). Its plumage is predominantly glossy black, contrasting sharply with its eponymous pure white t...
Primarily inhabiting tropical and subtropical lowland evergreen rainforests, the White-thighed Hornbill prefers dense forest canopies and often ventures into adjacent gallery forests. It is typically found at elevations from sea level up to around 1,200 meters (3,900 feet).
The White-thighed Hornbill's diet is overwhelmingly frugivorous, consisting mainly of a wide variety of forest fruits, often making up 90% or more of its intake. It supplements this with large insects, spiders, small reptiles, and occasionally bird eggs or nestlings, foraging arboreally in the fo...
These diurnal hornbills are typically observed singly, in pairs, or in small family groups, often gathering at communal roosts at dusk. Foraging predominantly in the upper canopy, they employ a method of gleaning fruits directly from branches or plucking them in flight. While primarily frugivorou...
The White-thighed Hornbill is endemic to the tropical forests of West-Central Africa, with its primary distribution spanning from southeastern Nigeria and Cameroon eastward through the Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of the Congo, and into the Democratic Republic of t...
Least Concern
- The female White-thighed Hornbill seals herself inside a tree cavity during nesting, using a paste of mud, fruit pulp, and her own droppings, relying entirely on the male for food. - They are vital "gardeners of the forest," acting as significant seed dispersers for many tropical fruit trees du...