Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Berenicornis comatus
Family: Hornbills · Status: Very rare visitor · Size: 75–80 cm · Conservation: Endangered
Resident from southern Myanmar and Thailand south through the Thai-Malay Peninsula to Johor, and Sumatra and Borneo.
A large hornbill with a tall, spiky white crest, black back and wings, and a long white tail. Male has white head, neck and underparts; female has black face, neck and underparts but retains the white crest. The juvenile is all black with a dull yellowish bill and white-tipped tail; whitish tips on the feathers of its head, neck and breast lend it an overall greyish cast. Bare skin around the eye is blue in adults.
In most of its range, favours primary lowland forest, but occasionally ventures into dense secondary forest and plantations.
Often forages at lower levels or on the ground, probing bark and debris; prey includes snakes, lizards, small birds and insects, and it also takes fruits.