Birds of Danum · Hornbill

Bushy-crested hornbill

Anorrhinus galeritus

The sociable hornbill — smaller, darker, and almost always in a noisy gang crashing through the mid-storey.

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The bird

Field notes

Where the big hornbills travel in pairs, bushy-crested move as a rowdy extended family — six, eight, a dozen birds working through the mid-storey together, keeping up a squealing, laughing racket that gives them away long before you see them. The scruffy crest and all-dark plumage make them the least showy of the eight, and among the easiest to enjoy.

Because they're group-living and vocal, they're a reliable early tick — a good way to get your eye in on hornbill shape and flight before the rarer species turn up.

Seen in Danum

Mid-storey along the trails and river corridor at both forest lodges; the walkway catches them crossing.

Best site & season

Reliable year-round, any time of day — one of the most dependable hornbills in the valley.

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