A medium-sized, mostly black-and-white hornbill with a diagnostic yellow bill that gives it the nickname of “flying banana”. Pairs and small groups occupy semi-desert, savanna, and broadleaved woodland; associates closely with humans in camps. Hops on the ground foraging for invertebrates, and flies into trees when disturbed. It calls a continuous rollicking “ko-ko, ko-ko”, working up to a crescendo, “ko-kukuk, ko-kukuk, ko-kukuk”, with its wings held open and its head bowed.