Wedge-tailed Toko
| Wedge-tailed Toko | ||||||||||
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Male of the wedge-tailed tooko feeds the female trapped in the nesting cavity |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Ocyceros birostris | ||||||||||
| ( Scopoli , 1786) |
The wedge-tailed toko ( Ocyceros birostris ) is a hornbill species that inhabits large parts of the Indian subcontinent from the foot of the Himalayas to the south.
description
With a body length of 50 cm, the wedge-tailed toko is one of the smaller hornbills. The male weighs 375 g and has a black beak with a narrow attachment, the front edge of which protrudes sharply. The tip of the beak and the lower mandible are bright yellow. The bare skin around the eye is gray, the iris is reddish brown. The plumage is silver-gray and white, the long tail tiered with a broader, blackish subterminal band and whitish tips. The dark wings also have wide, white tips. The female is smaller with a smaller and barely outstanding beak attachment. The iris is more brownish, the white tips of the hand wings are missing. Young birds have a pale yellow beak without an attachment and dark brown to black eyes that are surrounded by an orange area of skin.
Distribution and existence
The distribution of the wedge-tailed tooko extends from the Punjab in northeastern Pakistan, southern Nepal and northwestern Bangladesh southwards over large parts of India. The species is only absent in the southwest and east coast. It is not threatened, widespread, and quite common in a number of habitats. It shows itself to be quite adaptable and can also be found in the cultural landscape.
Way of life
The wedge-tailed toko lives in deciduous forests as well as open tree and thorn bush savannas. It is mainly found where there are interspersed fig trees as well as in the cultivated landscape and in gardens. It feeds mainly on small fruits and especially on figs. In addition, insects, lizards, mice and young birds are occasionally eaten, and more rarely flowers. In search of food, it flies from tree to tree, but also hops around on the ground or hunts insects on the fly.
Little is known about reproduction. The main laying season is in February or between May and June at the end of the dry season. It is possible that other males participate as helpers in the breeding process. The species nests in natural tree hollows at a height of 3–13 m, which are lined with pieces of bark. The female seals the entrance with faeces and food scraps, as well as mud brought in by the male. The clutch consists of 2–5 eggs which are laid after 7–10 days and incubated for at least 21 days. During breeding, the female passes through a large plumage moult, but leaves the cave a week before the young leave. These will fledge after at least 45 days.
The species is usually a resident bird , but occasionally roams around to find fruit-bearing trees. Flocks of up to 30 birds can then form.
It is not uncommon for the species to compete with the ring- necked parakeet for breeding caves, but is usually superior, eating the parrot brood and throwing the nesting material out of the cave.
literature
- AC Kemp, Eduardo de Juana, Peter Boesman: Indian Gray Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris) (2001/2014), In: J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, AD Christie, E. de Juana (eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2014.
Web links
- Ocyceros birostris in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Accessed December 21, 2014.
- xeno-canto: sound recordings - wedge-tailed toko ( Ocyceros birostris )
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Ocyceros birostris in the Internet Bird Collection
- Photos of Ocyceros birostris in the Oriental Bird Club image database , accessed December 21, 2014