Sharon Black, age 10, of No. Brunswick, New Jersey, for her question:
What is a rhinoceros hornbill?
The rhinoceros, of course, is a quick tempered character built like an army tank. His most remarkable feature is a curved horn near the end of his enormous snout. Hornbills are birds and naturally in no way related to the genuine rhino. In the department of over sized beaks, they out do the banana beaked toucan. One of them has an extra attachment on his outlandish bill that reminded people of that horn on the nose of the rhino. It seemed logical to name him the rhinoceros hornbill.
The 45 or so members of the hornbill family are tropical birds that enjoy life in certain forested areas of Africa and Asia. The rhinoceros hornbill and several other giants of the clan are as long as eagles. However, they are not birds of prey and cannot compete with the eagle's magnificent flight. Nor can they compete with the regal dignity of that king of the bird world for the clumsy looking hornbills are rather clownish characters.
Their plumage is a patchwork of white and either black or dark brown. But as a rule, their enormous bills are adorned with splashes of vivid tropical colors. Several hornbills add to this gaudy feature a large casque, somewhat like a helmet visor, attached to the upper bill. The casque of the rhinoceros hornbill swoops forward and the tip curves up like the horn of the genuine rhino.
His native home is Malaya. There he enjoys life high in the treetops with a flock of his gabby relatives: In the evening, when the troupe gathers to roost, their honking and hooting can be heard from afar. It is thought that their voices may be enlarged by echoes from empty chambers in their enormous bills. Hornbills fly in jerky dots and dashes, with short glides and frantic spurts of fast wing beats. As they go, they sound like steaming kettles. The huge rhinoceros hornbill flies through the air with a noise like a wheezy freight train.
The family life of these birds is as remarkable as their bills. At nesting time the flock separates into pairs and each couple seeks a small hollow, usually high in a jungle tree. The female enters and the male brings pellets of mud and other suitable plastering material. She slaps the pieces together to seal the entrance with a thick sturdy wall, leaving a hole just big enough for her precious beak. The father bird brings her meals and later feeds the hungry chicks. The mother bird may remain imprisoned for several months. When at last she hammers down the wall, she emerges in fine condition and with a new feathery outfit. The growing chicks immediately re seal the barrier, taking care to leave a hole for serving their food.
By this time the thin and weary father bird is ready for a well earned rest. The mother bird takes over his family chores. The youngsters may stay behind their barricade for several months, expecting her to serve them up to 40 snacks a day.
Several hornbills dine only on beetles, termites, caterpillars and other insects. Others eat insects and also larger creatures such as snakes and mice. But several hornbills live almost entirely on fruit. They usually gather their groceries from among the highest boughs of tropical jungle trees.