h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Here's my sketch, made during the time my finger was sore, scanned in and edited today:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Illustrations%20General/WhiteThighedHornbill1b.jpg

This is a White-thighed Hornbill, Bycanistes subcylindricus, which occurs in equatorial Africa.

I've already written about hornbills a few times in Colours of Wildlife, here: A87754891 and here: A87760227 (I hope those links work).

I just love hornbills, and would love to paint and otherwise illustrate every species. There is a great, well-illustrated book about them already, by Alan Kemp:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Hornbills-Bucerotiformes-Families-World/dp/019857729X

But you can't get too many hornbill pictures.

Well back to this one: it is a large species, up to 75 cm/2 and a half foot in length. It has a basic black-and-white colour scheme and so is well suited to a pencil sketch. What I find endearing about these hornbills is the hugeness of their heads! When you see them flying (I haven't seen this particular one, but the related Trumpeter Hornbills that we have here) the head seems as big as the body coming along behind it! They seem totally top-heavy in fact. Actually the casque on top of the bill is hollow and not as heavy as it looks. It is probably used to amplify the calls of these birds. This one apparently had a bark-like call, while our trumpeters have a braying call, also sounding somewhat like a child crying.

Oh, I forgot about this one: A71966596

What funny birds.

They are remarkable looking. That was a very pricy book advertised, even used it would break my bank. I'd really have to be convinced that it was comprehensive and with people finding new species daily --how could you be sure of it?