Serious birds

Borneo is well-known for its spectacular hornbills. There are 8 species found on the island. They are unique in that most have large casques on their bills which are thought to amplify the birds calls. The male on the right has larger beak and casque. But probably the most extraordinary feature of these birds is their breeding habits. After mating the female lays her eggs in a tree hollow before the entrance is all but sealed with mud with female and her developing brood trapped inside. She and the subsequent chicks remain trapped for around 2 months and fed by the male through a very narrow opening. It is thought that this extraordinary behaviour is to protect the female and her chicks. Pretty amazing eh?

The 2 hornbills in this picture were such posers. They remained on this bare branch overhanging a river for about 10 minutes. I took about 300 images of them. It was hard to pick favourites from that lot! But I do like this one.

~ by davidbettini on September 2, 2010.