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Helmeted Hornbill — printable fact sheet
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Helmeted Hornbill
Rhinoplax vigil
Rhinoplax vigil is the only hornbill whose casque is solid rather than hollow, a dense block of keratin that fills the front of the skull and makes the head account for around 11 percent of the bird's body weight. That solidity has a purpose: males fight in mid-air, flying at ea…
Did you know?
- The casque of the Helmeted Hornbill is made of solid keratin and is so prized in some cultures that it is often referred to as 'hornbill ivory,' making the species a target for poaching.
- Helmeted hornbill casques were being carved and traded to China more than 600 years ago, long before the modern crisis; Ming-era court records list them among tribute goods. The tail is extraordinarily long, with central feathers extending well past the rest, so the bird can exceed 1.5 m from bill to tail tip. Because the female is walled in for months, a poached male kills three or four birds, not one.
What I learned
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