Amsterdam Zoo Gives a Southern Ground Hornbill a 3D-Printed Beak
Vets at ARTIS and Utrecht University replaced both the upper and lower beak, and the bird was using them within hours.
Photo: Bernard DUPONT / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A male southern ground hornbill at ARTIS Royal Zoo in Amsterdam has a new beak, and a custom 3D-printed one at that. ARTIS says that, as far as the scientific literature shows, it is the first time both the upper and lower beak of a bird have been replaced this way. News outlets reported the story on 19 October 2026.
What happened
The bird had broken both parts of its beak, leaving two stumps. He managed, but could not do everything a hornbill naturally does, says ARTIS veterinarian Martine van Zijll Langhout.
- A CT scan of his head, the stumps and the broken fragments guided the design.
- Two plastic prostheses were printed to match the original shape.
- They are fixed with titanium parts and screws, so they can be removed if needed, and spares were made in case one breaks.
- The surgery was done by Bjorn Meij and Lucinda van Stee of Utrecht University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, with bird specialist Yvonne van Zeeland.
How he is doing
According to ARTIS, he accepted the new beak and started using it the same afternoon. The next morning he picked up a mouse from the ground, and he ate on his own that day.
"For me it is already a success," said Van Zijll Langhout, because he accepts the beak and has started using it. (Translated from Dutch.)
What's next
It is a single case. He still needs practice, and the team is monitoring his recovery and behaviour. Southern ground hornbills are large, ground-dwelling African birds that depend on their beaks to forage, so a working replacement may offer a model for helping other injured birds.
