Sulawesi Tarictic Hornbill

## About

A male Sulawesi tarictic hornbill.

The Sulawesi tarictic hornbill ***(Rhabdotorrhinus exarhatus)*** or dwarf hornbill is a small tropical bird endemic to the tropical Indonesian island of Sulawesi. This hornbill sports black plumage along with the characteristic 'hornbill' that all hornbills possess. Male Sulawesi tarictic hornbills have white plumage that covers most of their face however, these facial feathers are usually stained yellow in life, a phenomenon usually attributed to preen oil. Males also exhibit maroon, orange and brown bills and dark purple casques. Their yellow faces are accented by striking red eyes. Females are much less eye-catching, having more monochrome grey and black bills as well as brown or maroon eyes. Males of all hornbill species have a more colourful appearance in order to appeal more to a female. Sulawesi tarictic hornbills usually grow 45cm (18in) in length making them one of the smallest hornbill subspecies.

## Diet

Sulawesi tarictic hornbills being tropical birds, feast mainly on canopy fruits. However, they are not opposed to eating the occasional insect or even small reptiles like lizards.

## Conservation Status

After many years of endangerment, the efforts of rigorous captive breeding have paid off and now the Sulawesi tarictic hornbills are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Captive breeding played a huge role in the bird's survival leading it to be taken of the endangered species list.

## Range and Population

The Sulawesi tarictic hornbill inhabits the lowland rainforests of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Sulawesi tarictic hornbills usually live in large tree canopies where they have easy access to food, shelter and nesting sites. Today the population of Sulawesi tarictic hornbills is unknown but is known to be decreasing, due to deforestation in order to make room for palm oil plantations in the area.

## Behaviour

Sulawesi tarictic hornbills are social birds that live in groups of up to 20 individuals, with one main breeding pair. It is believed that only one pair in the whole group will breed, and the remaining group members will help however, if a female of lesser status does not offer up food to the dominant female, then she will most likely be rejected. The dominant breeding female will make a nest out of an enclosed tree cavity/hollow where she will also lay her eggs. Sulawesi tarictic hornbills are loud birds and flocks of them can be heard from afar, on top of this they will act aggressively to other animals in their territory during breeding season, often becoming even louder.

### Relationship with Humans

Sulawesi tarictic hornbills do not often interact with humans, as they are hard to come across in their native range. In captivity these hornbills are much more well documented, and interact with humans daily. Typically captive specimens are friendly and non-threatening however, this is expected from captive birds and is not their usual attitude towards humans exhibited in the wild.

## In Captivity

As of 2022 there is only two zoos that exhibit Sulawesi tarictic hornbills, being Whipsnade Zoo, United Kingdom and San Diego Zoo, USA. The latter of which played a huge role in the captive breeding of the Sulawesi tarictic hornbill. Sulawesi tarictic hornbills are doing well in captivity and without the captive breeding efforts of these zoos, it is likely the bird would have become extinct.

## Sources

* IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22682504/117181682
* The Cornell Lab of Ornithology - https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/sulhor1/cur/introduction