Trumpeter Hornbill (Bycanistes bucinator) Bird feeding in bush near Victoria Falls. Birds of The World: Hornbills. Hornbills are placed by some in their own order Bucerotiformes and by others in the Coraciformes order which contains kingfishers, bee-eaters, rollers, and trogons. Hornbills are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa and Asia . They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly-coloured and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Hornbills are the only birds in which the first two neck vertebrae are fused together; this probably provides a more stable platform for carrying the bill. The large bill assists in fighting, preening, and constructing the nest, as well as catching prey. A feature unique to the hornbills is the casque, a hollow structure that runs along the upper mandible. The family is omnivorous, feeding on fruit and small animals.
Genus Aceros Hornbill, Wrinkled Aceros corrugatus Found: southeast Asia Image by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo Genus Anthracoceros Genus Buceros Genus Bucorvus Genus Bycanistes Genus Ocyceros. Burchell's Coucal Calling. ML: Macaulay Library.