hornbill

Everyday

A hornbill is a tropical bird from Africa and Asia with a very large curved beak, often with a hard bump called a casque on top of it. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons about rainforests and adaptations, the hornbill eats fruit and spreads seeds, helping the forest grow. Its nesting habit is famous: the female seals herself inside a tree hole with mud, and the male feeds her through a narrow slit. In stories and films (Zazu in «The Lion King» is a hornbill) it is a talkative bird. Phrases: great hornbill, ground hornbill, rhinoceros hornbill.

Examples

• The hornbill has a huge yellow beak. tree →
• A hornbill helps the forest by dropping seeds. tree →
• The great hornbill lives in the forests of India and Southeast Asia. tree →
• The female hornbill stays sealed in her nest while the chicks grow. tree →
• Zazu in «The Lion King» is a red-billed hornbill. tree →
• The hornbill's casque sits on top of its beak like a helmet. tree →
• We heard the loud whoosh of a hornbill's wings. tree →
• Some hornbills are endangered because forests are cut down. tree →

Note

Countable: one hornbill, hornbills. A compound word: horn + bill (bill = beak). Do not confuse with the toucan of South and Central America, which also has a big colourful beak but is a different family; hornbills live in Africa and Asia.