Taking things a step further. There is a chance that this item is a bird but not as suggested. It could well be a stylised Hornbill. The Hornbill is associated with King Glele which would put it earlier in the 19th century. Which suits me fine. This link is very informative you can scroll done to find the Hornbill.
http://www.getty.edu/conservation/pu...ns/palace3.pdf