The Splendid and Remarkable Anatomy of Hornbills

One of my favourite bird groups are the hornbills (or bucerotiforms), a spectacular, tropical group related to hoopoes, sadly in trouble due to the loss and deterioration of their habitats. Caption: two different branches of the hornbill family tree. The skeleton at left represents Bucorvus, a great aboreal frugivore (specifically, this is a Great hornbill B. bicornis). At right is a ground hornbill, specifically the rarely seen Northern ground hornbill Bucorvus abyssinicus. Images: Darren Naish. Long-time readers of Tetrapod Zoology will know that they’ve been mentioned here in the past for a number of reasons, in part because certain species have approximate connections to ideas we have about other animals, like azhdarchoid pterosaurs. Studies dedicated to hornbills are relatively few but a noteworthy book devoted to them – one of only a handful that exist – appeared in 2007. Following a recent hornbill-heavy trip (to Birdworld in Surrey, UK), I’ve opted to dig it out and republish…