Blyth's hornbill, also known as the Papuan hornbill, is a large hornbill inhabiting the forest canopy in Wallacea and Melanesia. Its local name in Tok Pisin is kokomo.
Region
Wallacea and Melanesia
Typical Environment
Occurs across New Guinea and many adjacent islands, including Raja Ampat, Yapen, Biak, the Aru Islands, and the Bismarck Archipelago; locally into the northern Moluccas. It inhabits primary and mature secondary lowland and hill rainforests, favoring tall canopy and emergent fig trees. Often found along river corridors, forest edges, and ridge forests where fruiting trees are abundant. It may commute daily between feeding and roosting sites and occasionally crosses short sea channels between nearby islands.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Also called the Papuan hornbill and locally known as kokomo in Tok Pisin, it is a key seed disperser for many rainforest trees, especially figs. Females seal themselves inside tree cavities during nesting, relying on the male to deliver food through a narrow slit. Its loud wing whoosh is often heard before the bird is seen high in the canopy.
Wild blyth's Hornbill male passing fruit to mate
Detail of the hornbill
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
strong flier with deep, powerful wingbeats and audible whooshing
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small flocks, gathering at fruiting trees and communal roosts. Monogamous pairs nest in natural tree cavities; the female seals the entrance with a wall of mud and pulp, leaving a narrow slit. The male provisions the female and chicks until the molt ends and the seal is broken.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include loud honks, grunts, and cackling calls that carry far through the canopy. Wing noise is a distinctive whoosh that often announces their approach.
Plumage
Glossy black body with strong sexual dimorphism; male shows a warm buff to rufous head and neck with a contrasting white tail, while the female is mostly black with a darker tail.
Diet
Primarily consumes fruit, especially figs (Ficus), complemented by a variety of other fleshy fruits. Opportunistically takes insects and other small animals, and may occasionally consume eggs or small vertebrates. By swallowing fruits whole and defecating seeds far from parent trees, it plays an important role in forest regeneration.
Preferred Environment
Feeds high in the forest canopy at fruiting trees, particularly emergent figs. Also forages along forest edges and riverine corridors where fruit resources are concentrated.
