Card Set No. 8 – Gentle Knife

What looks at first glance like a collection of small knives are actually the striking beaks of hornbills. Their unusual shapes and colors make these birds fascinating inhabitants of the tropical forests of Asia.

Particularly impressive is the casque that sits on the beak of some species. In the helmeted hornbill, this so-called casque is unusually solid and consists almost entirely of dense keratin. It is precisely this feature that became its undoing: due to its resemblance to ivory, the material is referred to as "hornbill ivory" or "red ivory" and is traded illegally, carved, and fashioned into jewelry. Parts of hornbills are also used in traditional medicine.

However, trade is not the only threat. Hornbills rely on large, old-growth rainforests, which are increasingly disappearing due to deforestation and the expansion of agricultural land.

"Gentle Knife" showcases the extraordinary diversity of hornbill beak shapes.

• A card set contains 5 different motifs
• Format: 104 × 140 mm
• Offset printed in Zurich, Switzerland
• Z-Offset natural paper, 400 g/m²
• FSC-certified paper
• Concept & Design: Bienvenue Studios