Helmeted Hornbill
Sounds & Calls

The typical call of this species is almost as amazing as it’s appearance –  a series of gradually accelerating ‘toop’ notes which build up over a few minutes and climax with a mad cackling laugh. In some audio recordings I have made of this species the call in it’s entirety is almost 5 minutes long! Helmeted Hornbills make a few other sounds, one of the most common being the harsh crying calls often given by birds in flight.

Helmeted Hornbills are omnivorous, feeding mainly on fruiting rainforest figs, but occasionally taking insects and even small mammals and birds. Apparently this species performs extraordinary displays in flight, where individuals line each other up & collide in mid-air, their bony casques clashing with an audible knock. This jousting results in one or both hornbills being flung backwards, before righting themselves again in flight. Such collisions have been observed near fruiting trees, suggesting the birds are territorial & fighting for access to their favourite food supply.

Like other hornbill species, Helmeted Hornbill nest in tree hollows. A pair will select a hollow, high up in a rainforest tree & dig it out with their beaks and casques to make it the right size. Then the female enters inside the hollow and the male seals her in using mud, leaving only a narrow slit through which he can feed her. She remains imprisoned in her nest to incubate the eggs, relying on the male to bring her food. Eventually, when the chicks hatch, she breaks out of the hollow, then reseals it again from outside, as she joins the male in bringing food to the nest until the young have fledged.