Adjacent Words

Hornbill definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HORN'BILL, n. A fowl of the genus Buceros,which has a flat bony forehead with two horns; a native of the E. Indies.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: bird of tropical Africa and Asia having a very large bill surmounted by a bony protuberance; related to kingfishers

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1773 any of a family (Bucerotidae) of large nonpasserine birds of Africa and Eurasia having enormous bills

Britannica Concise

Any of about 45 species of Old World tropical birds (family Bucerotidae) noted for the bony helmet on the bill of some species. Hornbills range from 16 to 63 in. (40-160 cm) long, and typically have a large head, prominent bill, thin neck, broad wings, long tail, and brown or black plumage, usually with bold white markings. They nest in cavities, usually in large trees. The male of most species walls up the female in the nest, closing the hole with mud, except for a small opening through which he passes food. The female breaks out after the eggs hatch, but the young may be walled up again.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. any bird of the family Bucerotidae, with a hornlike excrescence on its large red or yellow curved bill.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hornbill Horn"bill`, n. (Zo["o]l.) Any bird of the family Bucerotid[ae], of which about sixty species are known, belonging to numerous genera. They inhabit the tropical parts of Asia, Africa, and the East Indies, and are remarkable for having a more or less horn-like protuberance, which is usually large and hollow and is situated on the upper side of the beak. The size of the hornbill varies from that of a pigeon to that of a raven, or even larger. They feed chiefly upon fruit, but some species eat dead animals.