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Oriental Pied Hornbill

Anthracoceros albirostris

Photo by SeanWeekly
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

Oriental pied-hornbills nest in a suitable hole in a tall tree. The breeding pair seals the female inside the hole with a plaster of mud and fibres. The male gathers and delivers earth to the female, which seals herself inside the hole. A narrow slit is left open so he can feed her and the chicks. He brings them mostly fruits, insects, crabs and lizards, and sometimes, smaller birds. This remarkable behaviour is believed to deter large predators.

Reference Links:

Oriental pied-hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) of Singapore

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (5)
Mark Ridgway
Excellent info people. Glad it's not extinct any more. Great looking bird.
Malcolm Wilton-Jones
I have added a link in the reference section explaining the recent recolonization of Pulau Ubin. I am considering adding a local mission covering the birds of Singapore as many species have been lost in the last few decades due to expansion of the concrete jungle but many species are hanging on in isolated spots or adapting to the new environment.
SeanWeekly
Thanks for the interesting information Malcolm, there seems to be a lot of these on Pulua Ubin. I have seen these birds quite a few times in mangrove areas on Singapore's Mainland.
Malcolm Wilton-Jones
These birds were declared extinct in Singapore many years ago. I saw one at Pulau Ubin a few years ago, presumably a visitor from Malaysia where they are common, and since then they have started breeding on Pulau Ubin, with a little help from local conservationists, and have been seen again on the mainland at Changi.

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Birds of the World
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PublishedOctober 11, 2011

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