White-crowned Hornbill

White-crowned Hornbill

Berenicornis comatus

Silhouette: Charles J. Sharp and T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic

LCNTVUENEndangeredCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Khao Luang National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

185 Verified sightings at Khao Luang National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,327 In all 7 parks
January Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the White-crowned Hornbill

The white-crowned hornbill (Berenicornis comatus), also known as the long-crested hornbill or white-crested hornbill (leading to easy confusion with the African white-crested hornbill), is a species of hornbill. It is monotypic within the genus Berenicornis, although rarely the white-crested hornbill is also included in this genus, and the white-crowned hornbill is sometimes placed in genus Aceros instead.

Berenicornis comatus is a large hornbill, reaching a length of 83–102 cm (33–40 in) and a weight of 1.3–1.5 kg (2.9–3.3 lb). Females are smaller than males. The plumage is black and white. The head, neck, breast and tail are white, while the remaining plumage is black. It has white crown feathers erected in a crest (hence the common name). Between the eye and the bill and on the throat there is bare dark blue skin. The bill is mainly black, with a yellowish base. Like most hornbills, it has a blackish casque on the top of its bill. The female has a black neck and underparts.

These birds are territorial and feed on various fruits, lizards, arthropods and larvae. This species is found in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:36

Malaysia · 2026

© Lim Ying Hien 林勇贤 · XC1071388 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Duet0:21

Malaysia · 2023

© Lim Ying Hien · XC858109 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:15

Malaysia · 2015

© Marc Anderson · XC266394 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~30%
2 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
3 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
4 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
5 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
6 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
7 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Zlín-Lešná Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
2 Bronx Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Khao Kheow Open Zoo 🇹🇭 Thailand In captivity
4 Fuzhou Zoo 🇨🇳 China In captivity
5 National Zoo of Malaysia 🇲🇾 Malaysia In captivity
6 Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens 🇨🇳 China In captivity
7 Johor Zoo 🇲🇾 Malaysia In captivity
8 Aviary 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China In captivity
9 Bangkok Aquarium 🇹🇭 Thailand In captivity
10 Schildpaddencentrum 🇳🇱 Netherlands In captivity
11 Singapore Miniature Zoo 🇸🇬 Singapore In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-crowned Hornbill in Khao Luang National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a White-crowned Hornbill sighting in Khao Luang National Park on a given day, based on 185 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 61st most-seen of the 215 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-crowned Hornbill in Khao Luang National Park?

January and November

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a White-crowned Hornbill in Khao Luang National Park on a given day, against about 10% in December, the lowest month. Those are among Khao Luang National Park's wettest months, with about 270 mm of rain a month against 65 mm in March.

What time of day is best to see a White-crowned Hornbill?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-crowned Hornbill sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Khao Luang National Park the best place to see a White-crowned Hornbill?

Yes

Of the 7 parks where we can rate White-crowned Hornbill sightings, Khao Luang National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Malaysia, about 30%) and Khao Sok National Park (Thailand, about 10%).

Where does the White-crowned Hornbill sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-crowned Hornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Khao Luang National Park (185 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.

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