Even among other sightings including orangutans, the rhinoceros hornbill was the highlight of the trip

I’d never seen a flying rhino before. Then again, I’d never visited the lowland rainforest of Borneo. This is the main stronghold of the rhinoceros hornbill, one of the largest and most imposing of its bizarre family.

So when a huge black-and-white bird flew out of the forest canopy, I was suitably impressed. I was most struck by its huge and prominent bill, topped with the orange-tinted and uniquely up-curved casque, the horn-like protuberance that gives the species its name.

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