The White-crested Hornbill (Tropicranus albocristatus), also known as the Long-tailed Hornbill, is a species of hornbill (family Bucerotidae) found in humid forests of Central and West Africa.
It is monotypic within the genus Tropicranus but is sometimes included in the genus Tockus instead.
Please note that there is an Asian hornbill that is sometimes referred to as White-crested Hornbill – please refer to White-crowned Hornbill.
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Taxonomy
There are three subspecies, which primarily differ in the amount of white to their head and neck and the presence/absence of white tips to the wing-coverts:
- Tropicranus albocristatus albocristatus (Cassin, 1848) – Guinea to the Ivory Coast.
- Tropicranus albocristatus cassini (Finsch, 1903) – Nigeria east to Uganda and south to Angola.
- Tropicranus albocristatus macrourus (Bonaparte, 1850) – Ivory Coast and Ghana.
Range
The White-crested Hornbill has a large range in Africa across Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Uganda.
It is frequent in parts of its range. Although its population is difficult to estimate, it is not thought to be threatened.
References
- “Zoological Nomenclature Resource: Bucerotiformes (Version 9.004)”. www.zoonomen.net. 2008-07-05. http://www.zoonomen.net/avtax/buce.html.
