Hornbill

… or more precisely, the Von der Decken’s hornbill—named after its discoverer, Karl Klaus von der Decken from the 19th century. You can find them in East Africa and at the Vivarium Darmstadt, which we visited again just under two months ago. Always worth a visit.

When a colleague recently introduced me by saying, “This is Falk—he photographs birds,” I briefly wanted to object; yet, in truth, it is indeed my feathered friends that captivate me most. So, I simply carry on, peering through the viewfinder with the same cheeky, spirited look that this wonderful bird gave me as it stared into my lens. They say these birds often team up with mongooses: the mongooses flush out the insects the hornbills love to eat, and in return, the hornbills sound the alarm if danger threatens. Clever and beautiful.