The western dwarf hornbill is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is widely spread across the African tropical rainforest. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the eastern dwarf hornbill with the English name "black dwarf hornbill".
Region
West Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs in the Upper Guinea rainforests from Sierra Leone and Liberia east through Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana into western Togo. It favors primary and well-regenerated secondary lowland rainforest but also uses riverine and gallery forests and forest edges. Birds typically forage in the shaded lower to mid canopy, occasionally descending to understory tangles and edges along streams. It tolerates selectively logged forest better than many larger hornbills but declines where forest is heavily fragmented.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
One of the smallest hornbills, it moves quietly through the lower to mid canopy and is easily overlooked. Like other hornbills, the female seals herself inside a tree cavity during nesting, leaving a narrow slit through which the male passes food. It often joins mixed-species flocks and may follow primates to snatch insects they disturb.
Temperament
shy and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly, in pairs, or small family groups, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks. Pairs maintain territories and nest in natural tree cavities. The female seals the cavity with mud and droppings, leaving a slit; the male provisions her and the chicks until fledging. After the young grow, the female breaks out and both parents continue feeding the brood.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Calls are high-pitched piping whistles and thin, ringing notes, often delivered in short series from cover. It also gives soft chatters and ticking contact calls when moving with flocks.
