Helmeted hornbill
| Helmeted hornbill | |
|---|---|
| immature male at the Jurong Bird Park. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Bucerotiformes |
| Family: | Bucerotidae |
| Genus: | Rhinoplax Gloger, 1841 |
| Species: | R. vigil |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhinoplax vigil (Pennant, 1781) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Buceros vigil Forster, 1781 | |
The helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil) is a very large bird in the hornbill family. It is found on the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Thailand and Myanmar. The casque (helmetlike structure on the head) accounts for some 11% of its 3 kg weight. Unlike any other hornbill, the casque is almost solid, and is used in head-to-head combat among males. It is a belief among the Punan Bah that a large helmeted hornbill guards the river between life and death.