Hornbills are large, colourful birds with specialised nesting behaviour and complex dietary needs that present significant welfare challenges in zoo settings.
Hornbill welfare in zoos requires careful attention to their unusual nesting biology, diet complexity, and spatial needs. The sealing of the female in a nest cavity during incubation is a highly motivated behaviour that requires appropriate nest boxes; females unable to perform this behaviour show signs of frustration. The large fruiting trees that provide wild hornbills with foraging opportunities cannot be replicated in most zoo enclosures; dietary variety and enrichment that engages bill-use and foraging motivation must compensate. The conservation value of captive hornbill programmes for critically endangered species is genuine but requires welfare investment to achieve good outcomes.