| Austen's Brown Hornbill | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Coraciiformes |
| Family: | Bucerotidae |
| Genus: | Anorrhinus |
| Species: | A. austeni |
| Binomial name | |
| Anorrhinus austeni Jerdon, 1872 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Anorrhinus tickeli austeni, Ptilolaemus tickeli austeni, Ptilolaemus austeni |
|
The Austen's Brown Hornbill (Anorrhinus austeni) is a species of hornbill found in forests from north-eastern India and southern China and south to Vietnam and northern Thailand. It is often included as a subspecies of Tickell's Brown Hornbill.
It is a medium-sized hornbill, brown with white-tipped tail. Male has white cheeks and throat, pale creamy bill, rufous- brown underparts. Female with head and throat dark.
It inhabits the deciduous and evergreen forests from lowland plains to edge of pine and oak forest in hills, but mainly in the hill forest.
It feeds on fruit and small animals; diet includes many species of fruits, together with many arthropods, also bats, snakes, lizards, snails, earthworms, and chicks and eggs of other birds. It occurs in territorial groups of 2-15.
It is a co-operative breeder, with dominant breeding pair, male helpers and additional females. They nest in natural cavities or in old holes of Great Slaty Woodpecker In India, the best place to see this species is the Namdapha National Park, Changlang District, Arunachal Pradesh.
The name commemorates the naturalist Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen.