15 Attractive Birds That Look Like They Are Painted By Another Worldly Artist

Male Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis): Buceros bicornis is found in mainland Southeast Asia, the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia. They are breeding residents in Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. In India, they and several other hornbill species live in the Western Ghats mountain range and forests in both the northeastern and southern regions. Great hornbills are arboreal and live mainly in wet, tall, evergreen forests. Old-growth trees that extend beyond the height of the canopy are preferred for nesting. The height of the tree and the presence of a natural cavity large enough to hold a female and her eggs are more important than the type of tree. The same nesting site is used year after year if possible. They are known to inhabit elevations of 600 to 2000 m. Buceros bicornis may live up to fifty years of age in captivity, but range from 35 to 40 in the wild. Though B. bicornis may occasionally be hunted by man, they lack natural predators and their food is often plentiful. These two things allow for a relatively long lifespan.