Walk-thru Hornbill aviaries

M

Marcellus

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Are there many walk-thru Hornbill aviaries out there and if so what species do they contain?

I seem to recall a kind of walk-thru at Desford in the UK, but if my memory serves me rightly, this was more of a covered walkway with open viewing of the hornbillls...

Are they considered potentially dangerous, especially during breeding??

Any thoughts would be most welcome...
 
Taricitc in wallace at Bristol
I believe Lok kawi has a walk-in with white crowned, wreathed and rhinoceros
 
London's walk-through African Bird Safari keeps Von Der Decken's Hornbills.
 
Marwell Dalek said:
London's walk-through African Bird Safari keeps Von Der Decken's Hornbills.
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I went when the exhibit first opened and while trying to photograph a roller I placed my bag on the floor. The next thing I knew a male hornbill was inspecting this new nest location and went in as far as his neck before coming back out and hopping a short distance away.

I also watched an inexperienced male trying to feed the nesting female with dead leaves, and he often went to the wrong nest as well, I somehow don't think it was a successful breeding.

Winged World at Morecame had a huge walk through tropical house, among the inhabitants were red-billed hornbills which bred there for the first time in the UK.
 
Red billed hoirnbills at Lotherton
 
Bird Kingdom in Niagara Falls, Ontario has a pair of Silver-cheeked Hornbills in it's Main Aviary. On the three times I have visited, the male has always been more bolder and is often seen interacting with the male Chestnut Mandibled Toucan.
 
I jsut did a quick search and I was very surprised.

San Francisco mean temperature
January 5.4 min 13.1 max
July 12.2 min 22.0 max

Chester (UK) mean temperature
January 5 min 8 max
July 17 min 28 max

Chester is warmer in the northern summer.
 
I always have to laugh at the tourists who come to San Francisco in July expecting "beach weather," dressed in shorts and tee shirts, but who end up shivering in the fog (and then buying over-priced sweatshirts or fleeces). But of course 20 miles inland from SF it's often closer to 35 C or hotter.
 
Bronx zoo 'World of Birds' had silvery-cheeked hornbill in one of walk-thru halls. I think the lone bird. And some Aceros hornbill in walk-through gibbon/tapir area.

Large hornbills, like Wreathed and Rhinoceros can be indeed agressive for people. I was once attacked through the mesh - lucky the mesh was small, because it would be like being hit with a pick-axe. Hornbill beaks are huge. But I think in big walk-thru type aviary this would not be a problem.

Besides, hornbills are omnivores and will hunt small birds. Even pheasants can be killed.
 
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Jurek7 said:
Large hornbills, like Wreathed and Rhinoceros can be indeed agressive for people. I was once attacked through the mesh - lucky the mesh was small, because it would be like being hit with a pick-axe. Hornbill beaks are huge. But I think in big walk-thru type aviary this would not be a problem.
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Cotswold have(or had) a male Great Indian that appears aggressive, I think there is warning sign on the aviary about it.

I guess they would be okay in a very large aviary provided not handraised and therefore 'tame'.
 
Yes, I also think hornbills should live OK in a big aviary or tropical house, with some larger birds, like storks, ducks, pheasants, crowned pigeons, vultures etc. Or, maybe, in some cage with monkeys.

I also wondered if it might be possible to keep hornbills free-flying in houses of elephants or rhinos or tapirs. They have lots of unused space above.
 
nayer said:
The hornbills have been moved into an aviary by the owls, their label has also recently been removed from the Bird Safari.
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I suspect that their removal was due to the potential for predation on small songbirds. When nesting territoriality is probably a factor too.
 
Many years ago Penscynor Wildlife Park in South Wales ( now closed ) had a tame great hornbill at liberty in the gardens .
 
Burgers Zoo kept a pair of wrinkled hornbills in Burgers Bush, this went wrong when their where young hornbills and the parents started to find living food, so they ate many birds and lizards.
 
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