Brown Hornbill

Austen's brown hornbill has dark brown upperparts (back, wings, and tail) with a lighter-coloured belly, cheeks, and throat. It has a white-tipped tail and wings and has blue-coloured bare skin around the eyes. The species is sexually dimorphic. The bill and casque are ivory white in females and cream-coloured in males. Females have a grey-brown throat, belly, and cheeks, whereas males have a whitish throat and cheeks with a reddish belly. The female also has a yellow wash below the eye. Juveniles look similar to adult males but have a short yellow bill, orange skin around the eye, and pale-brown feather tips. The male weighs 710–900 g (25–32 oz) and is 73–80 cm (29–31 in) long. The female is smaller.

Austen's brown hornbill is found in northeastern India, central and northern Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and historically China but there have been no recent reports. It is rare in most of its range and found mainly in national parks and sanctuaries where forests are protected such as the Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary and Namdapha Tiger Reserve. It is common in Laos but the population is declining. It lives mainly in dense evergreen forests in lowlands and foothills, and is less commonly found in deciduous forests. It has been observed up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in India, 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in Southeast Asia, and 1,800 m (5,900 ft) in Tibet. It moves through the forest at or below canopy level, but uses all canopy layers equally.

Austen's brown hornbill eats fruits and small animals. The percentage of animal matter in its diet ranges from 40–79% and includes arthropods, molluscs, earthworms, reptiles, bats, and bird eggs and chicks. The percentage of fruit matter ranges from 20–60% with a large portion of that being figs. Compared to other hornbill species, Austen's brown hornbill is an animal specialist and spends more time hunting animals below the canopy. The proportion of various food items and amount of food consumed overall changes throughout the phases of the breeding season.