{"id":1441,"date":"2015-05-27T20:27:30","date_gmt":"2015-05-27T20:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/windycityparrot.com\/blog\/?p=1441"},"modified":"2015-05-27T20:27:30","modified_gmt":"2015-05-27T20:27:30","slug":"hornbills-magnificent-soft-billed-winged-creatures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/?p=1441","title":{"rendered":"Hornbills those Magnificent Soft Billed Winged Creatures"},"content":{"rendered":"

First, we took a look at soft-billed birds which lead to an exploration of the differences between softbills – hardbills – hookbills & waxbills<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Hornbills are softbills like Toucans but don’t get a lot of press or even cereal of their own.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Feathered factoid:\u00a0Many people lump Toucans into the same category as Hornbills but the reality is they come from different continents.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Toucans reside in Central and South America while Hornbills hark from Africa and Asia.<\/span><\/div>\n
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How many species of Hornbills are there?<\/span><\/div>\n
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Between the images below and the list at the bottom of the page, there appear to be about 5 dozen Hornbill species – give or take.<\/span><\/div>\n
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\"Red<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Red-knobbed Hornbill<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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and yes – some people do keep them as pets.<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n
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You’ll need a walk-in aviary if you’re thinking about it and no I don’t know where the heck to get a Hornbill.<\/span><\/div>\n
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btw – some species of Hornbills can make a Blue and Gold Macaw – seem small.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Southern<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Southern Ground Hornbill<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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\"White-crested<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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White-crested Hornbill<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Feathered factoid:\u00a0Hornbills are omnivores.<\/span><\/div>\n
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In other words, they will eat just about anything from fruit to insects and small animals. <\/span><\/div>\n
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If you ever French kiss a Hornbill you will probably be disappointed (as most French kisses end up – or so I’m told).<\/span><\/div>\n
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See they can’t swallow food if they catch it at the tip of their beak because their tongues are too short so they can’t move the food around in their mouth.<\/span><\/div>\n
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That’s why you see them in the videos below toss the food to the back of their throat with a jerking motion of their head.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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\"Female<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Oriental Pied Hornbill<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Feathered factoid:\u00a0Asian Hornbills although omnivores like most other Hornbills prefer fruit and small animals.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Figs are their favorite fruit.<\/span><\/div>\n
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\"Wreathed<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Wreathed Hornbill\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\"Two<\/span><\/div>\n
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(Uniquely long tailed) Helmeted Hornbill<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

Rufous Hornbill<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Feathered factoid: Hornbills are prolific baby snatchers, especially during the breeding season.<\/span><\/div>\n
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They wine and dine their potential and current spouses with lizards, geckos, earthworms, frogs, caterpillars, beetles, butterflies, and grasshoppers all proudly absconded from nearby family homes.<\/span><\/div>\n
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\"Southern<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Southern Ground Hornbill<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Feathered Factoid: Hornbills, Ostriches & Secretary birds are the only birds that have eyelashes!<\/span><\/div>\n
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\"Beautiful<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Great Hornbill<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Feathered factoid: Although Great Hornbills “settle” for fruits especially those yummy figs, they are active hunters always looking for snakes lizards, bird nestlings including their eggs, beetles and most any other insect they can trap with their enormous beak.<\/span><\/div>\n
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\"The<\/span><\/div>\n
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Mindanoa Hornbill<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Yellow<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Yellow billed Hornbill<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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Feathered factoid: Hornbills are actually related more closely to Kingfishers and Toucans which are not so distant cousins to woodpeckers.<\/span><\/div>\n
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\"Wild<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Trumpeter Hornbill<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Abyssian<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Abyssinian ground Hornbill<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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