Congo Pied Hornbill

Lophoceros fasciatus (Shaw, 1812)

Congo Pied Hornbill, Lophoceros fasciatus, breeds from south-eastern Nigeria through northern Angola to Uganda. It is a hornbill of forested country in the Congo Basin and nearby areas. The female nests in a tree cavity and seals herself and the eggs inside with a wall of mud, droppings and fruit pulp, leaving a narrow opening for the male to pass food through. The species has mainly black plumage with a white belly and tail tip, and a long black-and-yellow bill with a medium-sized casque. The female’s casque is smaller, and young birds are duller with no casque.

Order

Bucerotiformes

Family

Bucerotidae — Hornbills

Breeding range

Africa: se Nigeria to n Angola and Uganda