hornbill

[ hawrn-bil ]

noun

1. any large bird of the family Bucerotidae, of the Old World tropics, characterized by a very large bill usually surmounted by a horny protuberance.

hornbill

/ ˈhɔːnˌbɪl /

noun

1. any bird of the family Bucerotidae of tropical Africa and Asia, having a very large bill with a basal bony protuberance: order Coraciiformes (kingfishers, etc)

Word History and Origins

Origin of hornbill¹

First recorded in 1765–75; horn + bill ²

Example Sentences

The flower’s fruit is the favored food of the rhinocerus hornbill but is toxic to humans, Tam said, so don’t try to sample it.

From Los Angeles Times

The Sungai Utik community of western Borneo are stewards of a 10,000-hectare tract of forest that is home to numerous species, including the critically endangered helmeted hornbill.

From National Geographic

The make-believe wilderness set up in elaborate detail in the huge lobby of the Jakarta Convention Center in the capital includes a widescreen video of a yellow beak hornbill gliding across an azure sky, swaying leaves and piped-in bird chirps.

From Washington Times

The make-believe wilderness set up in elaborate detail in the huge lobby of the Jakarta Convention Center in the capital includes a widescreen video of a yellow beak hornbill gliding across an azure sky, swaying leaves and piped-in bird chirps.

From Seattle Times

Cooke gives the example of seed-dispersing fruit eaters that are critical to forest regeneration, such as the Helmeted Hornbill in Southeast Asia.

From Scientific American