THE 
RHINOCEROS HORNBILL 
Buceros rhinoceros. 
Plate XXX. 
Or this large Hombill, Which, as regards the shape of its bill, is still more remarkable than the preceding 
species, the Society’s aviary contains but a single specimen, which was received at the same time as the latter, 
and is believed to be the only bird of the kind ever brought alive to this country. 
The Rhinoceros Hornbill inhabits the Malayan peninsula and Sumatra, being replaced in Borneo, Java, 
and the Philippine Islands by several nearly-allied races or species, which exhibit slight differences in the 
form of the casque and in the width of the black tail-band. 
Mr. Wallace gives us the following account of this species, as observed by himself in Sumatra and 
Borneo:— 
“ The Rhinoceros Hornbill sometimes exceeds four feet in length, and exhibits the greatest size reached in 
the Passerine order of birds. The exertion of hying is so great, that it generally rests at intervals of about 
a mile on some very lofty tree, whence after a few minutes, it resumes its flight. In some of the interior 
villages of Sumatra and Borneo, where a gun is never heard, they will settle upon and even build in trees in 
the village itself; but in more populous districts, where guns and Europeans abound, they are very shy, and 
take flight on seeing a man even at a considerable distance. 
“It is interesting to watch their motions when settled upon a fruit-tree. Their weight is so great that they 
cannot venture out on the smaller branches, nor can they cling to the twigs or flutter among the foliage like 
the smaller fruit-eating birds. They cannot even hop readily from branch to branch, their short legs only 
serving to support their massive body. On first alighting, they look cautiously round till they discover some 
spray of fruit hanging within reach of the branch they are upon, when they move sideways towards it by a 
sort of shuffling hop, and then stretching out their long neck, seize a fruit by the extreme point of the bill. 
To swallow it now they have got it is, however, no such easy matter, for the tongue not being adapted for 
deglutition, they are obliged to jerk down every mouthful by suddenly throwing back the head and at the 
same time opening the bill, by which action the fruit is of course thrown down the throat. This habit has 
given rise to the statement that this bird, as well as the toucan, throws its food up in the air before eating it; 
but a careful observation of the birds feeding in a state of nature, proves that the fruit never leaves the 
point of the bill except to be jerked down the throat. The action, however, so much resembles that of 
catching something in the mouth that the mistake is easily accounted for. Having finished all the fruit 
within reach of one branch, the bird, with much deliberation, takes flight to the opposite side of the tree, 
where the same operation is repeated till all the fruit that can be easily reached is exhausted. This is, of 
course, soon done, aud it therefore happens that Hornbills seldom visit a fruit-tree more than two or three 
days consecutively; whereas pigeons, barbets, bulbuls, and other fruit-eating birds may be found on the 
same tree daily for as many weeks. The discovery of a dinner every day in the year must doubtless be 
sometimes a matter of difficulty to the larger Hornbills, and they are often obliged to resort to other kinds 
of food.” 
