Von der Decken's Hornbill
Encyclopedia
Von der Decken's Hornbill (Tockus deckeni) is a hornbill
. Hornbills are a family of tropical near-passerine bird
s found in East Africa
, especially to the east of the Rift Valley
, from Ethiopia
south to Tanzania
. It is mainly found in thorn scrub and similar arid habitats. It often includes Jackson's Hornbill
as a subspecies
. It was named after the German
explorer Baron Karl Klaus von der Decken
(1833–1865).
except for the bill colour, and the lack of spotting on the wing coverts in both male and female.
The species shows sexual dimorphism
; the female has a black bill, whereas the male has a red bill with a cream tip and a black cutting edge.
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in a tree hole, which is blocked off with a cement made of mud, droppings and fruit
pulp. There is only one narrow aperture, just big enough for the male to transfer food to the mother and the chicks.
When the chicks and the female are too big to fit in the nest, the mother breaks out and rebuilds the wall, then both parents feed the chicks.
Captive breeding can be acheveied by providing a small barrel or hollow tree with an entrance hole that is 5 inches tall and 3 inches wide. The birds will mud the hole shut once the hen is ready.
Von der Decken's Hornbill is omnivorous
, taking insect
s, fruit and seed
s. It feeds mainly on the ground and will form flocks outside the breeding season.
In captivity the Von Der Decken Hornbill will eat the following readily; papaya, cantaloupe, blueberries, bananas, and apples. also live food such as crickets and mealworms should be offered daily. Small rodents are readily taken but should only be offered 2 to 3 times per week.
Hornbill
Hornbills are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly-colored and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Both the common English and the scientific name of the family...
. Hornbills are a family of tropical near-passerine bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s found in East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, especially to the east of the Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
, from Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
south to Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. It is mainly found in thorn scrub and similar arid habitats. It often includes Jackson's Hornbill
Jackson's Hornbill
The Jackson's Hornbill is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family. It is found in Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda. Except for the dense white spots to the wing-coverts, it resembles, and is often considered a subspecies of, Von der Decken's Hornbill.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
. It was named after the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
explorer Baron Karl Klaus von der Decken
Karl Klaus von der Decken
Baron Karl Klaus von der Decken was a German explorer of eastern Africa and the first European to attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro....
(1833–1865).
Description
This species is a small hornbill which has mainly whitish underparts and head and blackish upperparts. It has a long tail and a long curved bill which lacks a casque. It is similar to the Red-billed HornbillRed-billed Hornbill
Red-billed Hornbill is a relatively small species of hornbill found in savanna and woodland of sub-Saharan Africa. It is sometimes split into five species, the Northern Red-billed Hornbill , Western Red-billed Hornbill , Tanzania Red-billed Hornbill , Southern Red-billed Hornbill Red-billed...
except for the bill colour, and the lack of spotting on the wing coverts in both male and female.
The species shows sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
; the female has a black bill, whereas the male has a red bill with a cream tip and a black cutting edge.
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Breeding
During incubation, the female lays two or three white eggsEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
in a tree hole, which is blocked off with a cement made of mud, droppings and fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
pulp. There is only one narrow aperture, just big enough for the male to transfer food to the mother and the chicks.
When the chicks and the female are too big to fit in the nest, the mother breaks out and rebuilds the wall, then both parents feed the chicks.
Captive breeding can be acheveied by providing a small barrel or hollow tree with an entrance hole that is 5 inches tall and 3 inches wide. The birds will mud the hole shut once the hen is ready.
Food and feeding
Omnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
, taking insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, fruit and seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s. It feeds mainly on the ground and will form flocks outside the breeding season.
In captivity the Von Der Decken Hornbill will eat the following readily; papaya, cantaloupe, blueberries, bananas, and apples. also live food such as crickets and mealworms should be offered daily. Small rodents are readily taken but should only be offered 2 to 3 times per week.