Yellow-casqued Hornbill
Encyclopedia
The Yellow-casqued Wattled Hornbill (Ceratogymna elata), also known as the Yellow-casqued Hornbill, is found in the rainforest
of coastal regions of West Africa
, for example in Côte d'Ivoire
.
The Yellow-casqued Wattled Hornbill is one of the largest birds of the West African forest, with adults weighing up to 2 kg. They live mainly in the forest canopy, feeding on the ground only rarely. They live in small family groups containing at least one adult male and female, with one or two immature birds, though they sometimes gather in larger flocks to exploit a major food supply such as an ant or termite nest.
The birds are occasionally preyed upon by Crowned Hawk-eagles, and they respond to the presence of an eagle (sometimes indicated by its characteristic shriek) by mobbing, i.e. approaching it and emitting calls. Since the eagles depend on surprise to make a catch, this frequently causes them to leave the area. Recent research (Rainey et al., 2004) has shown that the birds respond in the same way to the alarm call
s that Diana Monkey
s, which live in the same areas, emit if they notice an eagle, and furthermore that they are able to distinguish the calls made by the monkeys to the presence of eagles from those they make in the presence of leopard
s, which prey on the monkeys but not on the hornbills.
Biologist Olivia Judson
has remarked that "Yellow-casqued hornbills remind me of aging rock stars: their head feathers have that kind of wild look."
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
of coastal regions of West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, for example in Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
.
The Yellow-casqued Wattled Hornbill is one of the largest birds of the West African forest, with adults weighing up to 2 kg. They live mainly in the forest canopy, feeding on the ground only rarely. They live in small family groups containing at least one adult male and female, with one or two immature birds, though they sometimes gather in larger flocks to exploit a major food supply such as an ant or termite nest.
The birds are occasionally preyed upon by Crowned Hawk-eagles, and they respond to the presence of an eagle (sometimes indicated by its characteristic shriek) by mobbing, i.e. approaching it and emitting calls. Since the eagles depend on surprise to make a catch, this frequently causes them to leave the area. Recent research (Rainey et al., 2004) has shown that the birds respond in the same way to the alarm call
Alarm call
In the field of animal communication, an alarm signal is an antipredator adaptation referring to various signals emitted by social animals in response to danger. Many primates and birds have elaborate alarm calls for warning conspecifics of approaching predators. For example, the characteristic...
s that Diana Monkey
Diana Monkey
The Diana monkey is an Old World monkey found in West Africa, from Sierra Leone to Côte d'Ivoire.The Diana monkey ranges from 40 to 55 cm in length, excluding its tail, which is of a uniform 3–4 cm diameter and 50–75 cm long. Adults weigh between 4–7 kg...
s, which live in the same areas, emit if they notice an eagle, and furthermore that they are able to distinguish the calls made by the monkeys to the presence of eagles from those they make in the presence of leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s, which prey on the monkeys but not on the hornbills.
Biologist Olivia Judson
Olivia Judson
Doctor Olivia P. Judson is an evolutionary biologist and science writer.- Career :Judson, who is the daughter of science historian Horace Freeland Judson,was a pupil of W.D. Hamilton....
has remarked that "Yellow-casqued hornbills remind me of aging rock stars: their head feathers have that kind of wild look."