


Malay common name: Burung Kenyalang
English common name: Rhinoceros Hornbill
Scientific name: Buceros rhinoceros

rank: Near Threatened
Photo Source: HBW Alive
My unique “horn” (called a casque) and large size make me easy to recognize. My siblings and I can grow to be 1.2 metres long with wingspans as wide as 1.5 metres. My wingspan as an adult will almost match the height of the average Malaysian! I am mostly interested in eating fruit, especially figs. When I can’t find any figs I will munch on other fruits, insects, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, and other birds, when I can catch them.
Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand are my home. I have family in all of these countries and we usually reside in primary lowland and hill forests; tall secondary forests; and swamp forests. A big bird needs a large forest area to feed and nest. We cannot make our own nests like other birds so we depend on woodpeckers, barbets, and even Malayan Sun Bears to dig out holes in large trees for us. That’s where we lay our eggs and raise our chicks. When the female lays eggs the nest in the tree is sealed leaving a small hole for her to poke her head out for the male to deliver food. The female will only come out once the chicks are ready to fly for the nest. As we are creatures of habit and we return to use the same nest site every year if it is still usable or not used by other animals or hornbills. You can check out a video of my cousin, the Great Indian Hornbill, making a nest in this video.
I’m proud to be the official bird of Sarawak State and can be seen flying and nesting in the following Totally Protected Areas: Gunung Mulu National Park, Tanjung Datu National Park, and Batang Ai National Park. You can also visit me at Royal Belum State Park in Perak, Taman Negara National Park in Pahang, Danum Valley, and Kinabatangan in Sabah. When in Indonesia, do check me out at Ujung Kulon National Park.
You can learn more about me in this video.