hornbill

2 definitions found

hornbill - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Hornbill \Horn"bill`\, n. (Zool.)
     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.
     [1913 Webster]

hornbill - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

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