The crowned hornbill is an African hornbill.
Region
East and Southern Africa
Typical Environment
Found from coastal Kenya and Tanzania south through Mozambique into Malawi, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, and eastern South Africa. Occupies coastal and riverine forest, evergreen forest edges, and well-wooded savannas, including miombo and gallery woodland. Frequently visits parks, orchards, and large gardens near suitable woodland. Prefers areas with mature trees that provide natural cavities for nesting.
Altitude Range
0–2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The crowned hornbill is a medium-sized African hornbill found in forests and woodlands of East and Southern Africa. Males have a more pronounced casque on the bill than females, which helps with visual displays. Like other hornbills, the female seals herself inside a tree cavity during nesting, leaving only a slit for the male to pass food. They are active, agile foragers that often travel in pairs or small family groups.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
strong flier with steady wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small family parties, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks when feeding. Monogamous; nests in natural tree cavities where the female is sealed in with a plaster of mud and droppings, leaving a narrow slit. The male provisions the female and chicks until they break out. Territorial near nest sites but tolerant when foraging.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are a series of yelping, cackling notes and nasal clucks, often delivered in accelerating sequences. Calls carry well through forest edges and are used for pair contact and territorial advertisement.
Plumage
Dark brown to chestnut-brown upperparts with clean white underparts and white-tipped tail. Feathers are sleek and glossy above, with a strong contrast between the dark back and pale belly.
Diet
Eats large insects such as beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and mantises, along with spiders and other arthropods. Also takes fruits and figs seasonally, and will opportunistically capture small lizards or nestling birds. Frequently forages by gleaning from foliage and branches and occasionally hawks insects in short sallies. Will visit fruiting trees and sometimes takes fallen fruit on the ground.
Preferred Environment
Feeds mainly in the mid- to upper canopy along forest edges, riverine woodland, and mature gardens. Uses perches along roads and clearings to scan for insects and fruiting trees. Often follows natural forest margins where prey is abundant.
