Snack on it

Forests - Our Water factories [Video adapted from this website on 24th February2010]

Keropok* for thought:

• Must something be worth money for us to value it enough to protect it? Can we not protect something for its own sake?
• What happens when their children decide to pursue a more profitable business and decide to use the land for other purposes? Like building factories? 
• Can we fault them for wanting to earn more money, when many of us can't imagine a life without our own comforts gained through money, such as this very laptop being used to post this entry? *sssh, don't listen my laptop, my precious... you won't be forsaken*
• And how can you tell a starving person to stop the very activity his livelihood is based on, yet offer no alternatives?

'It's a complex world, so hard for a casual guy like me' 

*continues singing off key*

[line stolen from 'It's a Complex World by The Young Adults]

Zebutionary
keropok* : cracker in Malay

Just like chicken

The lizards many of us urbanites are accustomed to are small, adorable(subjective of course) little things that are often a little translucent . Like these, there are many cute little lizards out there in our world so big and blue. And then, there are the BEASTLY looking ones (though we find them kind of cute too- in the eye of the beholder, and all that?) that range from 2 to 3m long! They are the varanids, deemed to be the REAL dragons by Rodney Steel.

For those of you who think THAT is ginormous *snort* : Some 20 000 years ago in the continent of Australia there used to roam the mother of all terrestrial lizards! The Giant Megalania! (Picture below) At an incredible 7m long, weighing a hefty 600kg, it was THE LARGEST known terrestrial lizard of all time! Unfortunately(or fortunately to some) this lizard is now extinct. Or is it? Apparently quite a number of Aussies go missing every year, with a number of them still not found...to this very day...lost, without a trace... *chomp chomp* Just kidding :)

Artist's depiction of the Giant Megalania 

(Adapted from this website, on 17th February 2010)

This little guy(or gal, can't quite be sure) in the picture below was seen hanging around the pond at the Resort at Sebana Cove. Its pretty difficult to identify the gender of a monitor lizard unfortunately, though adult males are generally larger than adult females. However, since this one is still young and not a fully grown adult, we're forced to call it 'He-She'. Nice ring to it, don't you think?

The juveniles of most species of monitors head to the nearest water body because it's relatively more safe than being out in the open, advertising its presence to predators. Unlike humans(well, most of us anyway), a 'baby' monitor's biological parents are not known to take care of it. A harsh reality for a tiny, tasty varanid.  Okay, so we don't know for sure that it is tasty, but the hundreds, and maybe even thousands who've eaten it thus far can't be wrong can they? Also, even as adults they are known to head for water at the first sign of danger. Maybe that's why little He-She over here keeps hanging out by the pond?

Malayan Water Monitor Lizard (Varanus salvator)

There are several different "types" of Varanus salvator. The one shown here is probably Varanus salvator salvator since the other subspecies("types") are not known to be found in Malaysia. This subspecies has the widest range from Sri Lanka and India through much of Southeast Asia. It is highly adaptable and eats pretty much any animal (dead or alive) it can find- mammals, teeny crocs, turtles, birds, fish... and even...*drum roll* human corpses in graves!! We suddenly see the appeal of cremation. Beats having your body ripped open(and into pieces as well) and your guts gobbled up by some hungry varanid...But then again, such is the circle of life :)

Since they're busy chomping on our fellow dead Homo sapiens, we figure its only fair that we chomp on them too! Monitors are eaten in all the regions that they are found in. In Myanmar for instance, the eggs of the Varanus bengalensis (another species of monitor lizard) are prized by the locals. They cost more than plain, old, boring chicken eggs. They eat the full grown lizards too! Apparently, they taste...

Just like chicken :)

References

De Lisle, H. F. (1996). The Natural History of Monitor Lizards. Florida: Krieger Publishing Company.

Steel, R. (1996). Living Dragons. London: Ralph Curtis Books.

Palm fruit be mine

Captured here, once again, is a series of very blur shots of the Long-tailed macaque. It is no fault of the photographer *cough*Grant*cough* of course. It's the camera! It just can't seem to take clear pictures for some reason or other :)

Along with its troop, it was hanging around a couple of palm trees, some just hanging out(literally), and others eating. Long-tailed macaques are also known as Crab eating macaques but that name is somewhat deceptive since crabs do not make up a large part of their diet. Hence, we prefer the calling them long-tailed macaques. These macaques are mostly frugivorous, meaning that they eat fruits mostly, like the Oriental pied hornbill. However, they are also known to take animal prey when available, such as crabs, insects and bird eggs.

Important note: These monkeys are widespread due to their adaptability. Their range extends from India to Southeast asia. Also, a long-tailed macaque found in one country, for instance, may not be exactly the same as another in another country. There are in fact, an astounding 10 subspecies of this monkey!

So great can their impact on the ecosystem be that they have been named as one of "100 of the world's worst invasive alien species" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature which stated that

"Species were selected for the list using two criteria: their serious impact on biological diversity and/or human activities, and their illustration of important issues of biological invasion. To ensure a wide variety of examples, only one species from each genus was selected. Absence from the list does not imply that a species poses a lesser threat."

But before we start to bring out the pitch forks, let's remember that the number one species that has wrecked havoc on the earth in its entirety(in recent times) are the Homo sapiens.

Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) eating fruit from palm tree

Macaca : "Oh Monkey-God, please send down more red, juicy fruits..."
God of the monkeys : *silence*

References

Cawthon Lang KA. (2006 January 6). Primate Factsheets: Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) Taxonomy, Morphology, & Ecology Retrieved February 14, 2010, from Primate Info Net: http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/long-tailed_macaque

Lowe S., B. M. (2004, November). Home: Resources: IUCN Publications & Documents: Publications. Retrieved February 14, 2010, from The World Consevation Union: http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2000-126.pdf

Sebana hornbill sightings on 7th Feb 2010

We expected(hoped actually) to just see a couple of Oriental pied hornbills at Sebana since they have been spotted there on previous occassions. But.. surprise surprise! 'Someone' else came along to join the party :)

Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris)


We heard the Oriental pied before we actually saw it. Seems to happen with birds a lot. And just when you start to think nope, these birds don't look all that strange, that they actually look quite nice, they open their mouths(or rather bills) and out comes that awful noise! It sounds like witches cackling! That is, if witches existed and they cackled, of course.

They call for various reasons, just as we open our mouths and emit sounds for various reasons. Some of the reasons they call out include the following: when they are frightened, during courtship feeding, to mark out their territories, and to attract their 'soulmates' even. Also just like us, these calls do not all sound the same, or there would be no point in making these calls for none would be able to make out what it's trying to say! It is possible that their casques(the strange protrusions at the top of their bills) help to make their calls as loud as hornbilly possible.

Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris)


The hornbill in the above picture initially presented a bit of a problem for us. It looked like a stereotypical Oriental pied hornbill except for... its tail! This seemingly strange bird didn't have the black tail with a white tip characteristic of this species of hornbill! But apparently, within the species there's quite a bit of variation in colour. There are 2 types(subspecies) of Oriental pied hornbill. The convexus subspecies is apparently known to have more white tail feathers- the cause of our confusion. It is believed that this species loses some of its black tail feathers as it gets older. Which would mean that we have an oldie here :) A classic case of 'just when you think you have it all figured out, something happens to throw you off'.

Lesson of the day: No matter how much you think you know, the reality is, you don't know squat!


Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris)


It's eating something red, and round. The fruit of a MacArthur palm perhaps? Though why it should grab the fruit and fly all the way to this tree to actually eat it we're not sure(presuming that it actually ate the fruit, since we didn't actually see it eat the fruit). Though there was a troop of long-tailed macaques creating a racket nearby. And this bird is known to be somewhat shy of these aggressive monkeys. Not a very good personality trait to have in the game of natural selection sometimes.

Another possibility: it is to be used to seduce another hornbill AKA, courtship feeding. *We're wiggling our collective eyebrows suggestively* Possibly to show that the hornbill can provide for its partner. The hornbill equivalent of "I'm tall, dark, handsome and rich, come have babies with me" perhaps? We prefer this second possibility, of course ;)

The next bird caused quite a bit of excitement, simply because it was the first of its kind we've ever seen! It was a good day. Or maybe we're just easily contented.

Female Black Hornbill (Anthracoceros malayanus)


The black hornbill is usually black all over except for a tinge of white at the tip of its tail. BUT... only the female has a black bill. The male has a yellow bill. We suspect that we might have seen a male, which was sitting on a tree close to this female. Unfortunately, he was camera and Homo sapien shy so we couldn't get a picture of him and we're unable to confirm this. It was a game of chase the hornbill around the tree, and he had the upper hand(or should i say... upper wing?).

But if he is indeed a male... then they could be a breeding pair looking for a new property to raise the family and well, that's where we come into the picture :) It presents some very exciting possibilities. But of course, this is all purely speculation since we're not sure of his gender and species, so let's not get ahead of ourselves(though it is tempting...).

Female Black Hornbill snubbing us(Anthracoceros malayanus)


She didn't seem to take to being gawked at by upright walking apes apparently...

Reference

Kemp, A. (1995). The Hornbills. United States: Oxford University Press Inc., New York.

The Chomping Plant

Food...need...FOOD!

The environmental conditions(microclimate) of a particular area, even if really small, is likely to differ from that of the area around it. This may not be noticeable at first glance, because these changes can be deceptively "invisible" to us. "Animal devouring" plants, for instance, often grow in soil that is somewhat deficient in the nutrients it needs. So how's it going to meet its nutritional needs and live to see another day?

*Light bulb moment*

So now, some plants have devised ingenious ways to trap and even lure animals within reach and then... CHOMP CHOMP!

The Nepenthes Plant

Known in Malay as the 'peruk kera' which means monkey's cooking pot. Unfortunately, the reason for this interesting name, we're not sure of as yet. But, apparently F.W. Burbidge had found the Spectral tarsier (Tarsius spectrum) raiding the Nepenthes rafflesiana, clearly its version of a cookie jar, looking for yummy-licious insects. The Spectral tarsier is a primate, so maybe that's where the plant got its name from?

Spectral tarsier (Adapted from this website, on 11 February 2010)

Cute ain't he? :)

Tropical pitcher plant, possibly Nepenthes rafflesiana

The Nepenthes is a vine. Here its climbing up a coconut tree.

Flowers of the Tropical pitcher plant, possibly Nepenthes rafflesiana


Tropical pitcher plant, possibly Nepenthes rafflesiana


Apparently Nepenthes plants usually bear 2 or even 3 types of pitchers. But this plant only had one type of pitcher-unfortunately for us nosy individuals. The lid of the pitcher, as can be seen above, is not used to help trap the animal inside. While it's called a lid, which implies that it can fully cover the pitcher, the lid can't actually move and as such usually doesn't completely cover the pitcher. So it's basically stuck in that position so that the pitcher doesn't end up filling up with water when it rains, as it often does in Southeast asia, where most of the pitcher plants from the Nepenthes genus are found.

The plant doesn't just simply wait for some random animal to happen to fall in. The whole pitcher is specifically designed to lure the animal to its demise. Firstly, the pitcher produces nectar close to the opening of the pitcher. Unsuspecting prey thinking to get a free meal move in to collect their sweet prize, only to end up slipping on the waxy inner surface of the pitcher and falling straight in. They end up drowning in the digestive fluid, the very fluid that then slowly "eats" away at the animal.

The whole situation gets even more complex. It isn't only the digestive fluid that helps to break down the animal. There are also micro-organisms living in this highly acidic environment that join in the feast.

And that's the end... of the animal (imagine evil laughter) ;)

Reference

Shivas, R. G. (1984). Pitcher Plants of Penisular Malaysia & Singapore. Singapore: Maruzen Asia Pte Ltd.

Slack, A. (1981). Carnivorous Plants. Great Britain: The MIT Press.

I Love Hornbills

(Adapted from I Love Animals Logo on11 Feb 2010)

Somewhere out there is an individual who loves hornbills enough to design this. Aww...

According to the owner of this design:

"Copyright

Do whatever you like with the logos, be it for personal or commercial use

Just spread the LOVE!"

So what are you waiting for?

Hard at work

Grant W. Pereira with one of our volunteers-in-miniature

Sun, sea, and palm trees- what more do you need?



















Ah yes.... a boat














More Oooh...













And ahhhh... run out of photo caption ideas. Can you tell?

Planta Numero Uno

Plants.

It's hard to believe that this short, simple term encompasses such a great diversity of living, breathing things both incredibly massive and unimaginably tiny. One of the largest plants is the humbling Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) which can grow up to about 70-85m tall with a diameter of around 5-7m! At the other end of the spectrum is the Watermeal (Wolffia sp.), arguably of unsurpassed kawaii-ness :)

Bits of watermeal the size of a pinhead on some unidentified stranger's finger (Adapted from Virginia Tech Weed ID Guide)














Amongst our photosynthesizing, gazillionth cousins a gazillion times removed, are the following. We spotted them just suspiciously standing around Sebana Cove, not moving... Little do they realise that we've watched and read the Lord of the Rings. Some of us many times over, in fact. One day we'll catch them moving... one day...

African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata)

Tall and magnificent stands the African tulip. Do not be fooled by the terribly taken picture of the tree above. In full bloom it really is a beautiful tree, all green and orange and red. It is native to tropical West Africa.

This is one tree you do not want to be caught under during a thunderstorm(though in any case, you shouldn't be standing under any tree during a thunderstorm). Apparently, the branches break off more easily than those of other trees. Riiiight! We know better. A friend of a friend of a friend told us it just gets kicks out of letting go of its branches on innocent, unsuspecting shelter-seekers. *We've got our eyes on you stranger*

In revenge for its branch throwing tendencies(or maybe not...), this tree is used in native medicine in tropical West Africa. The bark is used to dress ulcers and skin diseases. Disclaimer: we are not advocating using the bark as such, for we do not know for sure how exactly to do this, or if it really works at all.

Flower of the African Tulip (Spathodea campanulata)














The buds are filled with a sweet and watery sap. Probably to attract birds to the flowers when they finally do bloom. Innocent little birds are often unknowingly made use of by sneaky plants. Bird reaches into flower to get nectar. Bird gets pollen sprinkled/rubbed all over its feathered self. Bird flies to another tree to get more nectar. Bird inadvertently drops pollen in new flower. Flower is pollinated and develops into a seed bearing vessel.

Bored little human children however, have come up with another use for the sap. Apparently children snap of the tips of buds and squirt the sap at each other. We're not quite sure how this works, but we intend to investigate this claim further. All in the name of fun, oops, urm... science, of course :)

References

Chin, W. Y. (2003). Tropical Trees and Shrubs A selection for Urban Plantings. Singapore: Suntree Marketing Pte Ltd.

National Parks Board. (2003). 1001 Garden Plants in Singapore. Singapore: NParks' Publication.

Monkeying around

Leaves shaking, "non-human" screaming... The monkeys have arrived.

The monkeys we've seen so far are the Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), and possibly the Pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina).

Monkey troop at Sebana + 1














The monkey believed to be a Pig-tailed macaque(the extreme right in the photo above) has a short tail that curls and is somewhat solitary, yet it appeared to be following the rest of the long-tailed macaques around, though usually at a bit of a distance. The distance seemed to be mainly put there by the long-tailed macaques. Possibly because this monkey is apparently a bit of a bully. We were told that this male has been witnessed "raping" juvenile long-tailed macaques though we have yet to see this for ourselves, and frankly, we're not sure we want to.

The monkeys to the left of the pig-tailed macaque are long-tailed macaques.

We didn't count the number of juveniles and adults, though at first glance, it looked like there were many babies. May mean that the population is growing which may not be a good sign. Cute as the babies are, this may not spell particularly good news for the hornbills since these monkeys may harass them in their nests.

Long-tailed macaque at Sebana Cove














Notice his somewhat large testicles, aka balls. It is not for no reason that Mr Monkey has big balls. And no, he is not built this way because he is particularly sex-crazed(but,then again, we did see a pair...urm..."go at it" in the middle of the road in front of god and everyone!). In fact, it is believed that large testicles are a result of female promiscuity; i.e. the more sexual partners a female has, the larger the primate's testicles! (Google: Sperm Competition)

"NO!" you say? "Females are known for their undying fidelity!" Well... "Snort!" say we.

Let's delve deeper into this.
Problem: Female mates with male. Despite preventative attempts by male, female continues mating with other males. Male can't ensure that his sperms have managed to snare the ultimate prize-the egg.
Solution: Male bombards the female reproductive tract with spermies(not a real word). And to be able to do this, he develops GINORMOUS(also not a real word) TESTICLES!

At the other extreme: Gorillas live in harems of one male to many females. So, the females hardly have the opportunity to mate with anyone else but the silverback, the "patriarch". For this "macho-male" behaviour, the silverback is rewarded with relatively teeny weeny testicles.

Bet you're wondering- so what about humans? Well... we're somewhere in between. Meaning, women are not highly promiscuous, but neither are they Sitas*(for lack of a more well known devoted mythical woman).

Long- tailed macaque looking at us before climbing over the fence into the tennis court















Zebu-tionary:

• Spermies = Sperms
  
• Ginormous = Gigantic + enormous
  
• Sitas* : Sita is the devoted and faithful wife of Rama in the Ramayana.
  AKA Siti Dewi(Malay), Dewi Sinta(Bahasa Indonesia), Nang Sida(Thai), Nang Sanda(Lao), Thida Dewi(Burmese), Putri Gandingan(Tagalog)

The Maiden Voyage

We took a boat out to Sebana Cove from Changi Ferry Terminal on the 6th of February 2010. First up on our itinerary was checking out the first 2 artificial Hornbill boxes(henceforth christened HBB) set up. We didn't expect to see any hornbills inside so soon... and we didn't. Can't say it wasn't the least bit disappointing though. As in the words of Grant W. Pereira, somewhat paraphrased and taken out of context: "I can hope, can't I?" :)

The lack of free-loading hornbill tenants was more than made up for by sightings of so much other flora and fauna(that included possibly 2 species of hornbills), so it's all good. However we saw simply too much to report in one post and as such, it will be reported over the span of a few days and several posts.

The 2 HBBs were of different designs, as shown below. We figured since we're more desperate to have them around, than they are to stick around, we'll offer them some choices as to what type of home they prefer; i.e. we'll kiss up to them. We're not-so-secretly hoping that they pick the one on the right though, because we think it looks prettier.

Now all that's left to do is to send them telepathic messages to get them to pick the one that WE prefer, being proponents of free thought and all. Apparently there are many "telepathic animal communicators" out there. Don't suppose they speak hornbill... (Google: Animal telepathic communication)







HBB Type 1











HBB Type 2: made from coconut tree trunk







Fruits of the MacArthur Palm were placed on the roof of HBB Type 1 and at the entrance of HBB Type 2(as can be seen above) to lure them. Like many other birds such as the Pink-necked green pigeon (Treron vernans) and the Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopacea), some hornbills too feed on this fruit. It wasn't our idea though, so we won't claim credit for this genius. Kudos to the Malaysians for trying to entice the birds with food. Let's hope it works *keeping our fingers crossed*

Also, we have 2 volunteers-in-miniature who have assured us that they will check the HBBs regularly for any signs of Hornbill activity. It appears the Big Brother is upon them...

Stay tuned.

Volunteers Needed

The Green Volunteers with support from Sebana Cove Marina and Resorts will be embarking on a hornbill conservation and nesting project at Sebana sometime in Feb 2010.

Right now there are about 20 plus oriental pied hornbill (Antheracoceros albirostris) that are regular visitors to the resort. The idea is to grow more fruit trees and plants so the hornbills not only visit but stay because of the abundance of food. Whilst we are planting fruit trees, we will also be erecting breeding boxes and hope they will use those to breed. The property owned by Sebana is larger than Pulau UBin and would create a secure and safe environment project for such an activity/sanctuary.

It's both an interesting and unique project and will be the first in Peninsular Malaysia. We have no intentions of creating feeding platforms as that would make them dependent on humans for food instead we will plant trees that they are known to frequent for food and hopefully the abundance of food will help them decide to make Sebana their permanent sanctuary.

We are inviting schools, green clubs and committed individuals to take part in this long term project (2-5 years). We will leave Singapore on a Saturday morning (9am) and return Sunday (around 5pm) and this trip will cost SGD60 per participant. This amount covers boat fare to and from Johor, all local transportation, food(staff canteen food) and accommodation, a common room (bring your own sleeping bag) with toilet and bath facilities.

We are looking for about 10 groups (10 people per group) to be involved so each group can visit once every 6 to 8 weeks. It's a long term project so make sure you can spend the time before you commit. Those who need a visa to visit Malaysia will have to arrange on their own visas.

Please email/sms or call me should you require more information or clarification. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,
Grant
Mobile +65 96840950

Hornbill Photos Required

If you have clean photos of hornbills and want to share it with others, you can email them to us. Please send them to us at sebanahornbills@gmail.com

Please add a short caption to each photo, including where the photos were taken. Please also let us have your name, so that credits can be given for photos used.

We look forward to receiving your photos.

Cheers
Grant W. Pereira
Project Coordinator
Sebana Hornbill Project
Mobile +65 96840950

Chomp chomp...well, not really...

The diets of the various hornbills are incredibly diverse. While many are frugivorous, which basically means that they eat fruits, they usually supplement their diet with, often, small animals like insects. Some like the ground hornbills, though, have a mostly animal-based diet. They are known to feed on reptiles, frogs, insects and even small mammals.

The Oriental Pied

The Oriental Pied hornbills are mostly frugivorous birds, though they eat insects as well as small vertebrates from time to time. Fruits commonly eaten by these birds include figs, drupes, papaya, Corypha utan palm fruits, oil palm fruits, rambutan, fruits of the MacAurthur palm and figs. Animal prey taken by these birds include fish, insects, nestlings, bats, and small reptiles and amphibians.

Naturally, in consuming large amounts of fruit, these birds play a very important role in seed dispersal. A number of the fruits they consume are relatively large, and may contain large seeds. Smaller birds are thus unable to aid in the dispersal of these seeds and this important task then passes on to the Oriental Pied :)

Reference
Kemp, A. (1995). The Hornbills. United States: Oxford University Press Inc., New York.

Man-made Home

As part of the The Singapore Hornbill Project, man-made hornbill nesting boxes were set up around Pulau Ubin and some even set up on mainland Singapore. It is a collaboration between National Parks Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, the National University of Singapore, and Wildlife Reserves Singapore.These 'intelligent nests' are armed with cameras, sensors and scales., These enable researchers to monitor the Oriental Pied Hornbill as it is nesting.





















Man-made hornbill nesting box

Sightings from the Little Red Dot

The Oriental Pied Hornbill can be found in Singapore as well. They are found mainly on Pulau Ubin, with a few sighted in Changi as well. It is hoped that they will be able to make a comeback in mainland Singapore. All the images below were taken in Pulau Ubin.















Oriental Pied Hornbill in flight
















Oriental Pied Hornbill perched on branch

The Oriental Pied

Malaysia is known to be home to 10 species of hornbills. The only hornbill so far sighted at Sebana Cove, is the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris). The range of this hornbill extends from north western India, covering most of mainland southeast Asia, to Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan(Singapore is included in this long list as well). 2 subspecies of this bird have been identified- the Anthracoceros albitrostris albitrostris and the Anthracoceros albitrostris convexus. Both subspecies of birds are known, as are other Hornbills, to produce a variety of loud, distinctive sounds.

They are highly gregarious birds, commonly occuring in pairs, or relatively small family groups of between 4 and 6 individuals, though they are known to congregate in much larger flocks of up to 50 individuals when feeding or after breeding. However, these large groupings are often loose ones. These birds may roost in even larger numbers of more than 100 individuals. In addition, as if to make it difficult for those who wish to study these birds, their roosts tend to change repeatedly. However, they generally roost on the forest edge.

The Oriental Pied Hornbill is mostly monogamous as separate pairs. "Mostly" because even supposedly monogamous birds are known to "cheat" on their partners when the opportunity presents itself. This includes, of course, thy favourite symbols of eternal, faithful love and chastity, the Swan :) Both sexes of hornbills are known to present food to each other, or preen each other throughout the year. Mutual preening and courtship-feeding also occurs prior to copulation. In Peninsular Malaysia, these birds lay their eggs around January to March each year. While nesting, the female undergoes a complete flight-feather moult.


Reference
Kemp, A. (1995). The Hornbills. United States: Oxford University Press Inc., New York.

Wakowwako What?

Kak-kak, Rowwow, or perhaps...Wakowwakowkow?

You know you are in the presence of a hornbill when you hear a strange but distinctive, loud and somewhat unpleasant noise(Clearly they're not passerine birds...but then, not all passerines are songbirds). That is, assuming you don't see these, often, large birds with their peculiar bills first. It is not for no reason that these fascinating birds are named after their bills.

The nitty-gritties

There are currently 54 living species of Hornbills in the world and they fall under the order Bucerotiformes which, in turn, is further subdivided into 2 families and 9 genera. They can be found from Africa all the way to Asia. They are not found in the Americas. What you can find in the Americas is the Toucan. While at first glance they may look somewhat similar, they are actually not closely related. It is possible that their similarity in appearance is a case of convergent evolution. Both birds appear to share a similar ecological niche, hence their ranges do not overlap.

Within their extensive range, they are found in a wide variety of habitats. Most occupy some sort of forest with the remaining few inhabiting the savanna or steppe. Of those found in the savanna or steppe, all but one of the Hornbills is found in Africa.

Interestingly, there is a wide range in the size of Hornbills as well- the smallest weighing around just 100g, while the largest weighs a hefty 4kg. They can all be said to be omnivorous. What differs is the proportion of their diet consisting of prey or plant matter. For some, such as the ground hornbills of Africa, mostly other small animals are consumed, whereas at the other extreme, there are hornbills that are largely frugivorous. This further attests to the incredible diversity present within the Bucerotiformes.

All hornbills form their nests in holes, preferring natural cavities. It is only amongst the hornbills that the female seals the entrance to the nest. She only leaves only a narrow vertical slit for feeding and the removal of waste. Also, the interior of the nest is not significantly altered. There is, however, an exception to this "Sealing Clause"- sealing of the entrance is not carried out by the ground hornbills.

As mentioned, these birds are relatively conspicuous. This has left them known to mankind for a quite a while and as with many(if not most) things known to the human race, we have ensured that we have found some use for them in our lives. Can't possibly just leave them be, can we? :) In the Philippines, for instance, a skull of a Great Philippine Hornbill is included in some of the ceremonial head-dresses. Also they feature in many ancient customs and myths.


Reference
Kemp, A. (1995). The Hornbills. United States: Oxford University Press Inc., New York.

Our Hornbill Project

Our Mission
To provide sanctuary for hornbills to congregate in safety and hopefully, to reproduce :)

Vision Quest
To plant an abundance of fruit trees and make Sebana Cove, Johor, a leading hornbill sanctuary in Malaysia and the world