A smaller species of hornbill

The famous, great Indian hornbill

The most important of all bird accounts of the rainforest would be that of the toucan and hornbill. Both the toucans and hornbills lives in the canopy of the rainforest, eating fruits, insects and small animals.

Toucans inhabit the rainforest of Mexico and Central and South America. They vary in size from the largest, the toco toucan and the smaller aracaries and toucanets. These birds are known for their large and brightly coloured bills. They are clumsy birds in the air, flying with their wings beating fast and gliding unexpectedly. However their clumsiness are not due to their large bills. In fact, their bills are very light, made up of a network of fibres with air spaced in between. Their tongues are long, narrow and stiff for eating small flies and insects. The long bills are used for picking of fruits. And when eating, it flicks it head backwards in a vertical position and swallow the fruit. Other than for feeding, the bill also serves as a warning to other birds, who will not dare to attack a toucan.

The toco toucan is the largest of the toucans and its beak is brightly coloured with colours such as blue, yellow, red and orange. Its plumage is mainly black with one or two colours such as red and orange. These striking colours on the beaks and plumage are used to attract their mates. The toucans live in small flocks in which they mate with. Their nests are in hollow trees, where two to four eggs may be laid. The youngs are cared for by the parents for 8 weeks.

Hornbills on the other hand occur in forests of Africa and Southeast Asia, and not in South America. Hornbills are much bigger than toucans and have a casque on top of their head and bills. The age of a hornbill can be predicted from the number of folds. As the hornbills age, the number of folds increases. The largest of the hornbills is the African ground hornbill. They occur in the interior of South Africa from eastern Cape Province to Kenya and from Transvaal across the northern Kalahari to Angola and Congo. They live mainly on the ground and are carnivorous. And unlike other hornbills, they do not built nests in hollow trees.

Many species of hornbills have a habit of sealing the entrance to the nest with the female inside. The great Indian hornbill seals the entrance to the nest completely except for a small slit, with a mixture of mud, saliva and feces. This is to protect the females and youngs from predators such as snakes. The female will stay in the nest for 4 to 5 months, being fed by the male and young birds from the previous clutch. She will excrete her feces through the small slit, doing this carefully to prevent the nest from becoming soiled. Once the chicks are mature, the wall covering the nest is broken down, releasing the birds.

The rhinoceros hornbill that is distributed along Southeast Asia, Africa and New Guinea is a very heavy bird, weighing about 3 kg. It gets its name from the upward pointing casque on its head. Its plumage is black mainly black with a white belly and tail banded with black and white. The bill is ivory white with tinges of yellow. A loud roar "KRONK" is often heard from both sexes, usually in the form of a chorus. They are also seen saying "GAK" each time before flying. Pairs of these species often inhabit the crowns of the tallest trees. This species of hornbill has also been selected to be Malaysia’s national bird.