A tropical forest bird with a ridged structure above its bill.
It has black wings and a white tail. The throat pouch is yellow in adult males and blue in adult females; young females have a yellow pouch.
At Mount Ungaran in Central Java, Indonesia, researchers located eight Wreathed Hornbill nests; six were active. The study area was 900–1,200 metres above sea level. Nest trees stood 24–35 metres tall, while nest holes were 1–27 metres above the ground. The recorded trees included species of Syzygium and Cratoxylum.
Hornbills use cavities in tree trunks, so forests need to retain large trees with suitable hollows as part of their breeding habitat. The observations came from one mountain and only eight nests. The tree species and heights should not be treated as a universal template; local surveys are needed to learn whether suitable cavity trees remain available.
IUCN Red List · Vulnerable (VU) · Global
The Wreathed Hornbill was assessed as Vulnerable globally by the IUCN Red List in 2018, with a decreasing population trend. The assessment describes its reliance on large areas of undisturbed forest and identifies deforestation and hunting pressure as concerns. The Mount Ungaran nest study provides a local record of nesting trees and cavities. Forest protection therefore needs to consider not only forest area but also the retention of large cavity-bearing trees.