Great Hornbill: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Clever Birds · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. A great hornbill wears a big yellow-and-black helmet, called a casque, on top of its bill. It is hollow and nobody knows what it is for.
2. The female seals herself inside a tree hollow to nest. There she sits on one or two eggs for 38 to 40 days.
3. While she is walled in, the father feeds her through a narrow slit. She stays inside until the chicks are about half grown.
4. Male great hornbills sometimes clash in mid-air, bumping their casques together as they fly.
5. Great hornbills eat mostly fruit, and figs are an especially important food for them.

The quiz

1. What is inside the casque on a great hornbill's bill?

• Nothing, it is hollow (correct)
• Water
• Seeds
• Solid bone

The casque is hollow, and nobody knows what it is for.

2. For how long does the female incubate the eggs?

• 8-10 days
• 38-40 days (correct)
• 18-20 days
• 80-100 days

She sits on the eggs for 38 to 40 days, sealed inside a tree hollow.

3. How does the walled-in mother get food?

• She leaves every night
• The father feeds her through a slit (correct)
• She stored fruit beforehand
• The chicks bring it

The father passes food to her through a narrow slit in the seal.

4. What do male great hornbills sometimes do in flight?

• Carry chicks on their backs
• Fly backwards
• Sleep
• Bump their casques together (correct)

Males sometimes clash in mid-air, bumping their casques together.

5. What do great hornbills mainly eat in the wild?

• Fruit, especially figs (correct)
• Seaweed
• Grass
• Tree bark

They eat mostly fruit, and figs are especially important.

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