Piping Hornbill (Bycanistes fistulator)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Piping Hornbill

Bycanistes fistulator (Cassin, 1850)

50 cmLength508 gWeight

The piping hornbill (Bycanistes fistulator) is a bird in the hornbill family.

Busiest months: November · Most records: Ghana, Uganda, Gabon

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Piping Hornbill has been recorded at 86 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 15 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Ankasa NPGhana284 records
  2. Semuliki NPUganda278 records
  3. Nsuta ForestGhana232 records
More places
  1. Semuliki NP – Kirumya TrailUganda209 records
  2. Ankasa NP – entrance vicinityGhana86 records
  3. Bosque Científica – Selva PrimariaEquatorial Guinea74 records
  4. Brenu Beach – grasslandsGhana71 records
  5. Ebekawopa (Abrafo) – 'farm scrub' habitatGhana65 records
  6. Kakum NP – Canopy Walkway & vicinityGhana63 records
  7. Lamto Ecological Research StationCôte d’Ivoire60 records

Countries and regions with the most records

GhanaUgandaGabonEquatorial GuineaCôte d’IvoireCongo - BrazzavilleSierra LeoneCameroon

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The piping hornbill (Bycanistes fistulator) is a bird in the hornbill family. This black-and-white species is found in humid forest and second growth in Central and West Africa, ranging from Senegal east to Uganda and south to Angola.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Piping Hornbill?

The Piping Hornbill is about 50 cm long and weighs around 508 g.

Where does the Piping Hornbill live?

Its breeding range: Africa: western, central. It is most often recorded in Ghana, Uganda and Gabon.

When is the best time to see the Piping Hornbill?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Piping Hornbill endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Piping Hornbill as Least Concern.

What does the Piping Hornbill eat?

Main food: Fruit.

What family is the Piping Hornbill in?

It belongs to the family Hornbills (Bucerotidae), order Bucerotiformes.

At a glance

Length
50 cm
Weight
508 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Fruit
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
243 mm
Tail
190 mm
Bill
95 mm
Tarsus
39 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: western, central

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Hornbills Bucerotidae
Genus
Bycanistes

Other birds in the genus Bycanistes

Trumpeter HornbillTrumpeter HornbillBycanistes bucinatorBrown-cheeked HornbillBrown-cheeked HornbillBycanistes cylindricusWhite-thighed HornbillWhite-thighed HornbillBycanistes albotibialisBlack-and-white-casqued HornbillBlack-and-white-casqued HornbillBycanistes subcylindricusSilvery-cheeked HornbillSilvery-cheeked HornbillBycanistes brevisAbyssinian Ground HornbillAbyssinian Ground HornbillBucorvus abyssinicusSouthern Ground HornbillSouthern Ground HornbillBucorvus leadbeateriTanzanian Red-billed HornbillTanzanian Red-billed HornbillTockus ruahaeWestern Red-billed HornbillWestern Red-billed HornbillTockus kempiDamara Red-billed HornbillDamara Red-billed HornbillTockus damarensis
Piping Hornbill

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by François Sandrin. ↗

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