About Rhyticeros plicatus (J.R.Forster, 1781)
Rhyticeros plicatus, commonly called the Papuan hornbill, reaches up to 91 cm (36 inches) in total length. Adult males have mostly black plumage, paired with a golden or orange-buff head, white throat, and white tail. Their irises are reddish brown, and naked pale blue skin surrounds the eye. Females are smaller than males, and are also mostly black, with a white throat and white tail. Both adult males and females have a very large horn-coloured bill and casque. All juvenile birds of both sexes look similar to adult males. Adult Papuan hornbills develop up to eight folds on their pale casque, with the exact number depending on the bird’s age; young birds have no casque folds at all. When in flight, this species produces a loud, distinctive rushing noise with its wings, which has been compared to the sound of steam escaping a steam locomotive. It produces a range of far-carrying guttural calls, including both grunts and laughing sounds. Papuan hornbills live in lowland forests, ranging from sea level up to 1,200–1,500 m above sea level. Their range covers the Moluccas, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and extends east to the Solomon Islands. It is the only hornbill species native to New Guinea, and one of the largest flying birds found in that region. Rare sightings have also been reported on Saibai and Boigu Islands in the Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia. The Papuan hornbill’s diet is made up mostly of fruits, particularly figs. Occasionally it supplements this diet with insects and other small animals. The species nests inside large tree hollows in rainforest, located between at least 18 m (59 ft) and 30 m (98 ft) above the ground. Throughout incubation and the nestling period, the female remains confined entirely inside the nest cavity. She is mostly sealed inside when the nest entrance is plastered closed with a mixture of fruit pulp and rotten wood; only a narrow opening is left, through which the male brings food to her. The typical clutch size for this species is around two eggs.
