Rhyticeros plicatus                   Omnivore            Diurnal            Status: Least concern

Like all hornbills, the female Papuan hornbill seals herself into a cavity in a tree, accepting food through a slit from the male while she incubates their eggs. Also known as Blyth’s hornbill, both male and female have a black body and white tail and an enlargement atop the beak called a casque, which develops up to eight folds as the bird ages.

The larger male also has orange head feathers. They have a wide range that includes New Guinea, the Moluccas and Solomon Islands. Fruit forms the mainstay of their diet.

Photo courtesy of Peter Stubbs.