Brown-cheeked Hornbill
Bycanistes cylindricus
The Brown-cheeked Hornbill (Bycanistes cylindricus) is a rare hornbill found in 8 countries, weighing about 921 g. The brown-cheeked hornbill is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae.










About the Brown-cheeked Hornbill
The brown-cheeked hornbill is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Its natural habitats are tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, plantations, and secondary growth forests. It is threatened by habitat destruction, as timber is harvested and the forests become increasingly fragmented.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The brown-cheeked hornbill is a large bird, measuring 60 to 70 cm (24 to 28 in) in length. The male has a large yellow, down-curving beak topped by a casque, a hollow structure attached to the upper mandible. The head, upper parts and underparts are black apart from the reddish-brown cheeks, and the white rump, belly and tail. The female is smaller but otherwise similar to the male apart from having a black beak and casque. Its call is a descending series of coarse croaks "rrah...rrah...rrah...rrah" or "rack kack kak-kak".
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Congo - Kinshasa, Cameroon.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, October, November, December, with peak activity in November. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Brown-cheeked Hornbill?
- The brown-cheeked hornbill is a large bird, measuring 60 to 70 cm (24 to 28 in) in length. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Brown-cheeked Hornbill?
- The Brown-cheeked Hornbill is a large sized bird weighing about 921 g.
- Where can you see a Brown-cheeked Hornbill?
- The Brown-cheeked Hornbill occurs in 8 countries, including Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Uganda.
- What birds look similar to a Brown-cheeked Hornbill?
- The Brown-cheeked Hornbill is most easily confused with the White-thighed Hornbill, the Piping Hornbill and the Silvery-cheeked Hornbill.
- Is the Brown-cheeked Hornbill endangered?
- The Brown-cheeked Hornbill is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Brown-cheeked Hornbill for real
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