Birdsong field guide
Black-casqued Hornbill
Ceratogymna atrata
A large, canopy-dwelling hornbill of African rainforests, characterized by its prominent black casque and significant role in seed dispersal.
What it sounds like
Resonant, loud, and rhythmic trumpeting barks or raucous 'ark-ark' sounds that carry long distances through the canopy.
Field notes
- Sexually dimorphic: males feature black plumage on the head and neck, while females have distinctive rufous-brown feathers in those areas.
- The massive, hollow casque atop the bill is significantly larger in males and serves as a resonator for their loud vocalizations.
- It is a primary seed disperser for large-fruited tropical trees, often traveling long distances between feeding sites to track seasonal fruit.
- During the nesting period, the female is sealed inside a tree cavity with mud, relying entirely on the male to provide food through a narrow slit.
- Their flight is remarkably loud, producing a rhythmic rushing sound because they lack the underwing coverts that muffle airflow in most birds.
Habitat
Lowland primary evergreen rainforests and occasionally gallery forests.
Range
Equatorial Africa, ranging from Guinea and Liberia east to Uganda and south to northern Angola.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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