Mystery bird: Hemprich's hornbill, Tockus hemprichii | @GrrlScientist

That's a really big beak! What does this Ethiopian mystery bird use its huge beak for? Hemprich's hornbill, Tockus hemprichii (synonym, Tockus exsul; protonym, Buceros (Lophoceros) Hemprichii), Ehrenberg, 1833, photographed at Wabi Shebele at Lake Langano, a lake in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia (Africa). Image: Dan Logen, 5 February 2011 (with permission, for GrrlScientist/Guardian use only) [velociraptorise]. Nikon D300s, 600 mm lens, f/8, 1/320 sec, ISO 500 Question: That's a really big beak! What does this Ethiopian mystery bird use its huge beak for? How can this bird have such a large beak without falling beak-first, out of a tree every time it tries to fly? Are there any unrelated birds that also have large beaks like this? Can you name this bird's taxonomic family and species? Response: This is an adult Hemprich's hornbill, Tockus hemprichii, a member of the hornbill family, Bucerotidae. Hornbills are unique...

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