Horizocerus hartlaubi
Silhouette: Charles J. Sharp and T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The western dwarf hornbill (Horizocerus hartlaubi) is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is widely spread across the African tropical rainforest. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the eastern dwarf hornbill (Horizocerus granti) with the English name
"black dwarf hornbill". The western dwarf hornbill was formally described in 1861 by the English ornithologist John Gould based on a specimen from "Western Africa". Gould coined the binomial name Toccus hartlaubi. The specific epithet was chosen to honour of the German ornithologist Gustav Hartlaub. This species was previously assigned to the genus Tockus but is now placed in the genus Horizocerus that was introduced in 1899 by the American ornithologist Harry C. Oberholser.
The western dwarf hornbill was formerly considered to be conspecific with the eastern dwarf hornbill (Horizocerus granti) with the English name "black dwarf hornbill". It is black with a curved beak and a wide white brow above its eye.
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Odzala-Kokoua National Park | 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo | |
| 2 | Chinko Conservation Area | 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | |
| 3 | Kakum National Park | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 4 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Dwarf Hornbill sighting in Kakum National Park on a given day, based on 53 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 155th most-seen of the 250 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black Dwarf Hornbill in Kakum National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, April–May and September, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Dwarf Hornbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Black Dwarf Hornbill sightings, Kakum National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Odzala-Kokoua National Park (Republic of the Congo, about 20%) and Chinko Conservation Area (Central African Republic, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Dwarf Hornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Kakum National Park (53 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
