Kloof Conservancy BioGuide - Trumpeter Hornbill
Mass 0.45 - 1.0kg
The Trumpeter Hornbill, Bycanistes bucinator, is a medium-sized hornbill, with length between 58 and 65 cm, characterized by a large grey casque on the bill, smaller in females. The eyes are brown or red, with pink surrounding skin. Distinguishing features include an all-black back, white belly and white underwing coverts (in flight, wings present white tips), and red facial skin.
It is easily distinguished from the other hornbill in our area which is the Crowned Hornbill (Tockus alboterminatus) due to the very large “casque” on top of the beak. The two species have very similar distribution and behaviour.
The Trumpeter Hornbill is a gregarious bird, usually living in groups of 2 to 5 individuals, although sometimes as many as 50. They have a very distinctive and very loud cry often sounding like a crying baby.
Trumpeter Hornbills feeds on fruits and large insects and have often been spotted eating millipedes in Krantzkloof.
It lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for roughly 24 days. The male forages for the female, giving food to her through the entrance slit.
The chicks stay in the nest for at least 50 days, remaining near the nest for about a week before joining the parents in foraging flights. The female stays in the nest from when the eggs are laid to when the chicks fledge, a period of about 94 days!
This hornbill is a locally common resident of the tropical evergreen forests of Burundi, Mozambique, Botswana, Congo, Kenya, the Caprivi strip of Namibia and eastern South Africa.
It generally prefers warm coastal lowland forest, often near watercourses, although often flying across other habitats on its way to new forest patches.
Not threatened other than by land transformation resulting in habitat loss.
The Trumpeter Hornbills are very common in Krantzkloof and they can be seen flying in flocks out of the reserve in the morning and returning in the evening. They are found in most parts of the reserve but more commonly can be seen near the cliff faces.
The Crowned Hornbills are more often spotted in the open areas or close to the forest edges.
The Trumpeter Hornbills are frequent visitors to the park and can often be seen feeding on the fruit bearing trees such as the Waterberry's
Trumpeter Hornbills are very common in Kloof homes where they have the habit of banging their large bills on windows presumably in a display of aggression against their own reflected image!
Video and sound clips are available on YouTube and SoundCloud.
Ububanzi bamphiko 273-302cm
Isisindo 0.45 - 1.0kg
Ukuphila 20 rs
Umumo Ngokongiwa Least Concern
Ikhunatha elimaphakathi ngobukhulu nobude obuphakathi kuka 58 no 65cm beselibe nomqolo omkhulu ompunga phezu komlomo mncinyane kolwesifazane. Amehlo ansundu noma abomvu akokolozelwe isikhumba esiphinki. Umehluko asinawo umhlane wonke umnyama isisu simhlophe kanti amaphiko amhlophe ngaphansi emachosheni kanye nobuso abu nesikhumba esibomvu.
Ihlukanisek kalula kwamanye endaweni yethu okuyi Crowned Hornbill elinomqolokazi phezu komlomo. Lezizinhlobo zinezindlela ezimbili ezifana ngazo okuwukusabalala nokuziphatha.
Trumpeter Hornbill Avamise ukuba semshungwini ngokujwayelekile kuba amaqoqo amabili noma amahlanu kwesinye isikhathi kuze kufinyelele emashumini amahlanu. Anomehluko omkhulu uma ekhala nokuye kuzwakale njengomsindo wokukhala kwengane.
Trumpeter Hornbills adla izithelo kanyena-mbuzane ezinkulu kanti futhi kujwayelekile ukuthi abonakale edla amashongololo kwi Krantzkloof.
Ama Trumpeter Hornbill ngokujwayelekile asebenzisa imigodi yemvelo ezihlahleni njengezidleke zawo. Uma isidleke sesikhethiwe elesifazane lisivala ngodaka namakaka aqoqwe elesilisa ashiye imbotshana encane. Kwesinye isikhathi asebenzisa izimbobo ezisemadwaleni nakuba kungenzeki njalo. Isikhathi sokuzalela amaqanda kusukela kumandulo kuya kumasingana, noma kusukele ngoMfumfu kuye kuLwezi. Abeka amaqanda amabili kuye kwamane afukanyelwe elesifazane cisho izinsuku ezingamashumi amabili nane. Elesilisa liyahamba liyofunela elesifazane ukuolla beselilinikeze ngembobo yesdleke. Amachwane ahlala esidlekeni cisho izinsuku ezingamashume amanhlanu, ahlala duze nesiolleke isikhathi esiyisonto ngaphambu kokuba ahlangane nabazali. Elesifazane lihlala esidlekeni kuze kube ukuthi amaqando ayachanyiselwe isikhathi esingamashumi ayisishangalolunye nane (94) days lapho ke kusuke sekungamachwane esehlume izimpiko zokundiza.
Loluhlobo lujwayeleke emahlathini aluhlaza naswakeme ase Burundi, Mozambique, Botswana, Congo, Kenya, the Caprivi Strip of Namibia and Eastern South Africa.
Ancamela izindawo ezifundumele emahlathini amafushane, ngokujwayelekile eduze namaxhaphozi, nakuba ejwayele ukundiza nomanye aye emahlathini amasha.
Akukho okungawasabisa ngaphande kokuguquka komhlaba nokungaholela ekutheni alahlekelwe indawo yokuhlala.
Trumper Hornbill ajwayeleke kakhulu e Krantzkloof ungawabona endize ngamaqoqo ngaphandle kwesiqiwi ekuseni noma esebuya ntambama. Atholakala ezindaweni eziningi zesiqiwi kodwa kakhulukazi abonakala duze nobuso bamawa. Abonakala kakhulu ezindaweni ezivulekile noma emaphethelweni amahlathi.
Izinsingizi nomaImikholwane inokuvasha kakhulu kwipaki abuye abonakale kakhulu edla izihlahla ezinezithelo njengezindoni.
Ajwayeleke kakhulu emakhaya esekloof lapho ebonakala khona eshaya amawindi ngemilomo yawo etshengisa ukuhlasela izithunzi zawo.
Esiqoshiwe kanye Nomsindo
Isiqophi khanye nomsindo kutholakala kwiYouTube nakwi SoundCloud.