English: Tarictic Hornbill
Tagalog: Tariktik
Scientific: Penelopides Panini Panini
Population Status/Origin /Distribution Habitat
The species is peculiar to the Philippines and is represented by 8 races in the different islands. These are:
P.p. manillae occuring in Luzon and Marinduque
P.p. subnigra occuring in Polillo
P.p. mindorensis occuring in Mindoro
P.p. panini occuring in Guimaras, Masbate, Negros and Panay
P.p. ticaensis occuring in Ticao
P.p. samarensis occuring in Bohol, Leyte,and Samar
P.p. affinis occuring in Dinagat and Mindanao
P.p. basilanica occuring in Basilan
The Tarictic hornbill's range follows the limits of the dipterocarp forests found from the lowlands to about 800 m elevation. Some birds may be found in mid- mountain forests of slightly higher elevation but not as frequently as the next species. Its main habitat is the dipterocarp forests. Occasionally it goes to feed on fruiting trees in clearings close to the original forests or on fruiting trees second-growth patches in well-forest areas.
It is a noisy birds and keeps up its incessant notes that sound like the syllables "Ta-ric-tic, ta-ric-tic,ta-ric-tic" as it feeds on fruits. Some times, more than a dozen birds feed at the same time on one fruiting tree. As some leave others come in. This continues throughout the day. Among the dense foliage, it difficult to locate the birds immediately in spite of the noise.
Description
Adult -Male --Head ,neck, and breast ,buffish white; cheeks ears cover ts and throat ,black; back and wings ,black, glossed with green ; rump. upper tail coverts,abdonomen ,crisum ;flanks,thighs and under tail coverts,rufous,lightest on abdomen ;rectrices, light rufous on basal 2/3 ,and black slight green gloss on terminal 1/3 Female -- Black with green gloss on neck , back on wings ; retraces as in male but outer web of outermost pair entirely black at base.
Immature--Plumage as in adult , but bill not grooved.
Soft parts-Male-- Iris, red; bare skin of face white, bill and casque, dark red; base of upper mandible, with 4 or 5 oblique ridges; legs and feet blackish brown ; claws, black.
Female-- Iris red; bare skin of face , bluish ;bill, black, dark red a tip ;casque ,dark red ;base upper mandible with 3 or 4 ill-defined radges;and shallow grooves between ;base of lower mandible with 2 ill-defined oblique ridges, legs and feet, blackish; claws, black.
Measurement
Total length, 650 mm; wing, (260, 245); tail (245,234) base of casqued to tip of bill, (108,95);tarsus (47,46).
The species feeds mainly on fruits, occasionally insects and other animals. The stomachs of twenty-two birds taken from Negros contained wild fruits mostly, but in a few there were some insect remnants, mostly beetles and in one there were several pieces of earthworm.
The eggs and nest of the doubtfully distinct race P.p. ticaensis have been describe on the basis of a set collected in Ticao. Isalnd. The eggs which have a chalky surface with occasional bumps, are dull white and unmarked except for a few stains. The nest is a cavity in the trunk of a large tree. the entrance is narrow slit through which the female was fed by her mate.