NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Blyth's Hornbill
Rhyticeros plicatus (J. R. Forster, 1781)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Blyth's hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus), also known as the Papuan hornbill, is a large hornbill inhabiting the forest canopy in Wallacea and Melanesia. Its local name in Tok Pisin is kokomo.
Previously, this hornbill was placed in the genus Aceros. It has often been lumped with the plain-pouched hornbill (R. subruficollis), and sometimes considered to include the Narcondam hornbill (R. narcondami) and the wreathed hornbill (R. undulatus) as subspecies.
The common name commemorates Edward Blyth (1810–1873), English zoologist and curator of the museum of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.
Wikipedia contributors, Blyth's hornbill; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:25:09.021902+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rhyticeros plicatus (J. R. Forster, 1781)
- Name authority
- (J. R. Forster, 1781)
- Common name
- Blyth's Hornbill
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Bucerotiformes
- Family
- Bucerotidae
- Genus
- Rhyticeros
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderBucerotiformes
- familyBucerotidae
- genusRhyticeros Reichenbach, 1849
- speciesRhyticeros plicatus (J. R. Forster, 1781)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Rhyticeros. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Narcondam HornbillRhyticeros narcondami Hume, 1873 | BucerotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Wreathed HornbillRhyticeros undulatus (Shaw, 1812) | BucerotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sumba HornbillRhyticeros everetti Rothschild, 1898 | BucerotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Plain-pouched HornbillRhyticeros subruficollis (Blyth, 1843) | BucerotidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Buceros plicatus J. R. Forster, 1781 J. R. Forster, 1781 | synonym |
| Rhyticeros plicatus dampieri Mayr, 1934 Mayr, 1934 | synonym |
| Rhyticeros plicatus plicatus (J. R. Forster, 1781) (J. R. Forster, 1781) | synonym |
| Rhyticeros plicatus ruficollis (Vieillot, 1816) (Vieillot, 1816) | synonym |
| Aceros plicatus (J. R. Forster, 1781) (J. R. Forster, 1781) | synonym |
| Rhyticeros plicatus harterti Mayr, 1934 Mayr, 1934 | synonym |
| Rhyticeros plicatus jungei Mayr, 1937 Mayr, 1937 | synonym |
| Rhyticeros plicatus mendanae E. Hartert, 1924 E. Hartert, 1924 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Southern Asia
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=707787 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4SWG6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.