hornbill Brownish or black-and-white bird, native to tropical Africa and se Asia. It has a large, brightly coloured bill. The female lays one to six eggs in a hole high up in a tree trunk and then sometimes erects a barricade, imprisoning herself and her eggs there for 4 to 11 weeks. The male feeds her through a slit in the wall. There are several species. Length: 38–152cm (15–60in). Family Bucerotidae.

horn·bill / ˈhôrnˌbil/ • n. a medium to large tropical Old World bird (Buceros and other genera, family Bucerotidae), having a very large curved bill that typically has a large horny or bony casque.