Thursday 15 October 2026

The southern ground hornbill with his new beak at ARTIS Zoo in Amsterdam. Photo: ARTIS, Ronald van Weeren.

A southern ground hornbill at ARTIS Zoo in Amsterdam has received two custom-made, 3D-printed prostheses to replace the broken upper and lower parts of his beak. As far as is known, this is the first time in the world both parts of a bird’s beak have been restored in this way. The procedure was made possible through a collaboration between ARTIS, Utrecht University’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UMC Utrecht and Amnovis. It has already proved successful: the hornbill was picking up food independently the day after surgery.

A beak is essential to a bird. The southern ground hornbill uses its beak extensively to preen its feathers and, above all, to forage for food, including by probing the ground. This can cause damage to the beak; beak injuries are a recognised problem in ground hornbills. After breaking his beak, the male southern ground hornbill was left with two stumps. Although he managed reasonably well, his everyday behaviour was restricted.

Martine van Zijll Langhout, Head of the Veterinary Department at ARTIS: “For me, the most important question is: can an animal display the behaviour that is natural to its species? A complete beak gives him far more opportunities to express that natural behaviour. And that is exactly what we want to achieve.”

The operation was performed by veterinary surgeons Bjorn Meij and Lucinda van Stee from Utrecht University’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Photo: ARTIS, Marcel Bakker.

Two new beak sections from a 3D printer
Using a CT scan and the preserved sections of his original beak, specialists were able to reconstruct the correct shape. Two plastic prostheses were then 3D-printed and attached using titanium components and screws during surgery.

The operation was performed by veterinary surgeons Bjorn Meij and Lucinda van Stee from Utrecht University’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Joëll Magré of UMC Utrecht developed both 3D-printed beak sections, while Amnovis manufactured the titanium components. ARTIS veterinarian Martine van Zijll Langhout and avian specialist Yvonne van Zeeland from the Division of Birds and Exotic Animals, initiated and developed the treatment together with the animal keepers involved.

New beak already in use on the day of surgery
The big question was whether the hornbill would accept his new beak. It did not take long: he began using the prostheses on the day of surgery. The following morning, he independently picked up a small mouse from the ground independently. After a few days, he also began preening his feathers. His recovery will continue to be closely monitored. The hope is that the prostheses will continue to function well in the long term. If they do, this innovative treatment could open up new possibilities in veterinary medicine. The specialists involved hope to eventually publish their findings in a scientific journal. The southern ground hornbill can now be seen again at ARTIS Zoo in Amsterdam.

In this video, veterinarian Martine van Zijll Langhout explains how the operation was carried out. Video: YouTube @ArtisAmsterdam.

Notes to editors
The photos below are available to download for editorial use. Please credit the named photographer. Video footage is available on request. For press enquiries, please contact +31 6 53 73 86 88 or communicatie@artis.nl.

On the @ArtisAmsterdam YouTube channel, you can watch the operation and see how the hornbill is doing now:
How is the southern ground hornbill doing now?

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