Lophoceros alboterminatus
Silhouette: Charles J. Sharp and T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The crowned hornbill (Lophoceros alboterminatus) is an African hornbill. It is a medium-sized bird, 50–54 centimetres (20–21 in) in length, and is characterized by its white belly and black back and wings. The tips of the long tail feathers are white. The eyes are yellow; the beak is red and presents a stocky casque on the upper mandible. In females, the casque is smaller. The crowned hornbill can be distinguished from the similar Bradfield's hornbill by its shorter beak.
The crowned hornbill is a common resident of the coastal and riverine forests of southern (only the eastern coast) to northeastern Africa. It forages mainly in trees, where it feeds on insects (often caught in flight), small rodents, small reptiles, eggs, seeds and fruits. This hornbill species can be seen in flocks, usually in the dry season. Four to five white eggs are incubated for 25 to 30 days; the juveniles remain with both parents for about 8 weeks.
Gordon Lindsay Maclean, Robert's Birds of South Africa, 6th Edition ISBN 0-620-17583-4 Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Saitama Children's Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 4 | Ueno Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 5 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 6 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 7 | Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Inokashira Park Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 9 | Ōmiya Park Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 10 | Volière | 🇨🇭 Switzerland |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Crowned Hornbill sighting in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 310th most-seen of the 380 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Crowned Hornbill in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of Tsavo West National Park's wettest months, with about 95 mm of rain against 5 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crowned Hornbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
33rd of 38
Of the 38 parks where we can rate Crowned Hornbill sightings, Tsavo West National Park ranks 33rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Selous Game Reserve (Tanzania, about 60%), Mana Pools National Park (Zimbabwe, about 50%) and Lower Zambezi National Park (Zambia, about 50%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crowned Hornbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Tsavo West National Park (14 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.
