Birdsong field guide
Piping Hornbill
Bycanistes fistulator
The Piping Hornbill is a small, gregarious forest hornbill characterized by its high-pitched vocalizations and striking black-and-white plumage. It is the most diminutive member of the genus Bycanistes and is a conspicuous inhabitant of the African forest canopy.
What it sounds like
A series of loud, penetrating, high-pitched whistles and nasal piping notes described as 'peep-peep-peep'.
Field notes
- It is the smallest member of the genus Bycanistes, typically measuring between 45 and 50 centimeters in length.
- The species exhibits sexual dimorphism primarily in bill size and color, with males possessing a larger, darker casque than females.
- During the nesting cycle, the female is sealed into a tree cavity with a cement-like mixture of mud and feces for several months.
- While primarily a fruit-eater favoring figs and oil palm, it is an opportunistic omnivore that also hunts insects and small lizards.
- Unlike many larger hornbills, this species is highly social and often travels in noisy, active groups of up to 12 individuals.
Habitat
Primary lowland rainforest, gallery forests, mangroves, and occasionally older secondary growth or plantations.
Range
West and Central Africa, spanning from Senegal and Guinea east to Uganda and south to northern Angola.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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