Western dwarf hornbill explained

The western dwarf hornbill (Horizocerus hartlaubi) is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is widely spread across the African tropical rainforest. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the eastern dwarf hornbill (Horizocerus granti) with the English name "black dwarf hornbill".

Taxonomy

The western dwarf hornbill was formally described in 1861 by the English ornithologist John Gould based on a specimen from "Western Africa". Gould coined the binomial name Toccus hartlaubi. The specific epithet was chosen to honour of the German ornithologist Gustav Hartlaub.^{[1] [2]} This species was previously assigned to the genus Tockus but is now placed in the genus Horizocerus that was introduced in 1899 by the American ornithologist Harry C. Oberholser. The western dwarf hornbill was formerly considered to be conspecific with the eastern dwarf hornbill (Horizocerus granti) with the English name "black dwarf hornbill".^[3]

Description

It is black with a curved beak and a wide white brow above its eye.

Notes and References

1. Gould . John . John Gould . 1860 . Description of a new species of hornbill from western Africa . Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London . 28 . 3 . 380-381 . Although the volume has the year 1860 on the title page, the article was not published until 1861.
2. Book: Peters . James Lee . James L. Peters . 1945 . Check-List of Birds of the World . 5 . Harvard University Press . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 258 .
3. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela C. Rasmussen . December 2023 . Mousebirds, Cuckoo Roller, trogons, hoopoes, hornbills . IOC World Bird List Version 14.1 . International Ornithologists' Union . 9 January 2024 .