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White-crowned Hornbill — Fotopedia
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Hornbill

Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly colored and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Both the common English and the scientific name of the family refer to the shape of the bill, "buceros" being "cow horn" in Greek. In addition, they possess a two-lobed kidney. Hornbills are the only birds in which the first two neck vertebrae (the axis and atlas) are fused together; this probably provides a more stable platform for carrying the bill. The family is omnivorous, feeding on fruit and small animals. They are monogamous breeders nesting in natural cavities in trees and sometimes cliffs. A number of species of hornbill are threatened with extinction, mostly insular species with small ranges.


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List of birds

This page lists living orders and families of birds. The links below should then lead to family accounts and hence to individual species.

Taxonomy is very fluid in the age of DNA analysis, so comments are made where appropriate, and all numbers are approximate. In particular see Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy for a very different classification.


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Vogelpark Avifauna

Vogelpark Avifauna (English: Avifauna Bird Park) is a large bird park in Alphen aan den Rijn, in the western Netherlands. It was the first dedicated bird park in the world. The park has a lot of greenery and ponds, and also a restaurant and a children's playground. The park is owned by the Van der Valk group.

The zoo was set up in the garden of the Ten Rhijn estate by the owner, Van den Brink, and it was opened on 17 May 1950, the first bird park in the world. Toucans were featured on the posters for the park's opening, and a toucan has been depicted on the zoo's logo since, and also on the logos of the Van der Valk restaurant chain and Hotel Avifauna, which is situated on the edge of the park.

On the night of 23 December 2005 a fire broke out. About twenty birds were killed. The stables and an adjoining house were completely destroyed by the fire, and replacement buildings were completed in 2008.


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Crowned Hornbill

The Crowned Hornbill (Tockus alboterminatus) is an African hornbill. It is a medium-sized bird, with a length between 50 and 54 cm, and it 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 in insects (often caught in flight), small rodents and reptiles, 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.