A southern ground hornbill at Amsterdam’s ARTIS Zoo is getting a fresh chance to do what hornbills do best—thanks to a carefully designed new beak.
The young bird had broken both the upper and lower parts of his beak. He could still get by, but the injury made it difficult to pick up food, care for his feathers, and take part in other natural behaviors. For the veterinary team, helping him regain those abilities was worth an ambitious effort.
“Especially with a young bird that can still live to a very old age, we felt it was important to see if we could improve its quality of life,” said ARTIS veterinarian Martine van Zijll Langhout.
Working with Utrecht University’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, the team used CT scans of the hornbill’s head, the remaining portions of his beak, and the broken pieces. Specialists used those scans to reconstruct its original shape and create two custom plastic prostheses, secured with titanium components and screws.
Other birds have received replacement beaks. Max, a blue-and-gold macaw in South Africa, received a 3D-printed titanium upper beak after losing his own in a fight. In Alabama, specialists made a custom prosthetic for Beauregard, a green aracari who had damaged his upper beak as a chick. Replacing both parts of a bird’s beak, however, presented a different challenge. According to van Zijll Langhout, the ARTIS team could find no previous example of it being done this way in the scientific literature.
The encouraging signs came quickly. Within hours of surgery, the hornbill was trying out his new beak. By the following morning, he could pick up a mouse from the ground; later that day, he ate on his own.
“That was an incredibly important moment for us,” van Zijll Langhout said. “He understood that he could use his beak and began to discover for himself what was possible with it … the more often he uses his beak, the more skillful he will become with it.”
The team hopes the prostheses will keep working well as the hornbill grows accustomed to them. They also hope he and his mate will one day raise chicks—a welcome possibility for their vulnerable species.
Founded in 1838, ARTIS has cared for animals for generations. For this hornbill, that care now means a chance to explore, eat, and live more fully with a beak made just for him.
