Rufous-necked hornbill (Aceros nipalensis)

This incredible looking and large bird species is surprisingly not that easy to see as it can sit silently on a branch, barely turning the head to assess the availability of food around it.

But when it decides to go to a higher branch you definitely locate it by the whooshing sound of the flapping wings. But you need to be quick as it might just be a couple of flaps needed to get up a level in the canopy, or it simply takes flight downslope and out of sight – Bhutan is after all a mountainous country with lush forests on steep slopes that seem to make any life form disappear at the blink of an eye.

This female decided to jump higher in the tree and out of sight for me and my camera.

It sounds like this:

Elevation: 1839 meters

Last updated on 7 December 2020