Wildlife of RER: The Great Hornbill

Meet the Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis). The bird, which is part of the hornbill family, is native to the Indian subcontinent (Bhutan, India and Nepal) and Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam). In Indonesia, it can only be found in Sumatra Island.

The Great Hornbill, which is known in Indonesia as the Rangkong Papan, measures 95 to 130cm in length and weighs two to four kilograms, making it a very large bird, and the heaviest Asian hornbill.

Most distinctively, the Great Hornbill bears a bright yellow and black casque on top of its massive, hooked yellow bill (beak). However, young birds have no casque, and a full development of the casque only takes place after five years.

Another distinctive feature of the Great Hornbill is its wing beats, which are heavy and can be heard from a distance – even more than half a mile away!

Back again with #SpeciesofTheWeek! We met the #GreatHornbill in our restoration area, which is listed as Near Threatened at #IUCNRedList since 2004. #ExploreRER #animals #protect #hornbill #birds #forest #indonesia #Riau https://t.co/FNfeSaJeyQ pic.twitter.com/gFtHfV9Rk5

— RER (@RER_official) April 18, 2018

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