Silvery-cheeked Hornbill

Description:

Spotted this bird while walking in a village in the Arumeru District of Arusha, Tanzania. The natives call this bird hondo-hondo but the common name is silvery-cheeked hornbill. This is a large bird at 75 to 80 centimeters in length with a very large creamy casque on the beak. The female is slightly smaller than the male and has a significantly smaller casque as seen in the last picture in this series. The head is silver-grey and the rest of the plumage is iridescent black, except for the white rump, lower back, thighs, vent and tip of the outer tail-feathers. Silvery-cheeked Hornbills are residents of the tall evergreen forests of East Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa It has an over-sized blackish bill with large casque on top.