Aceros nipalensis
Silhouette: Charles J. Sharp and T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The rufous-necked hornbill (Aceros nipalensis) is a species of hornbill in Bhutan, northeastern India, especially in Arunachal Pradesh, Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is locally extinct in Nepal due to hunting and significant loss of habitat. There are less than 10,000 adults left in the wild. With a length of about 117 cm (46 in), it is among the largest Bucerotine hornbills. The underparts, neck and head are pigmented as a rich rufous in the male, but black in the female.
The scientific name Buceros nipalensis was coined for the rufous-necked hornbill by the English naturalist Brian Houghton Hodgson in 1829 who described several rufous-necked hornbills caught by hunters in sal forests in Nepal. The species was placed in the genus Aceros by Hodgson in 1844. The authorship of the genus name has sometimes been credited to John Edward Gray but Gray was the editor not the author of the list. The genus name comes from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-), meaning "-less", and κέρας (kéras), meaning "horn", and thus, "horn-less".
The head, neck, and lower body of the male are coloured rufous, with deeper colouration on the flanks and abdomen. The middle primaries... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 2 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hlawga National Park | 🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma) |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-necked Hornbill sighting in Royal Manas National Park on a given day, based on 557 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 15th most-seen of the 388 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, May and July
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-necked Hornbill in Royal Manas National Park on a given day, against about 20% in December to February, the lowest months. Those are among Royal Manas National Park's wettest months, with about 470 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in December. August and September have too few records to rate.
Between 4 and 7 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-necked Hornbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Rufous-necked Hornbill sightings, Royal Manas National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Namdapha National Park (India, about 30%) and Manas National Park (India, under 5%).
Same family: Bucerotidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous-necked Hornbill that you can see in Royal Manas National Park (family Bucerotidae, Hornbills) are Great Hornbill (about 50%) and Wreathed Hornbill (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-necked Hornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal Manas National Park (557 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.
