Oriental Pied Hornbill: Courtship at Changi

“Oriental Pied Hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris) (above), Tanimbar Corellas (Cacatua goffini) and Red-breasted Parakeets (Psittacula alexandri) making loud squawking and screeching sounds got me to abandon my figging at Turnhouse Road in Changi last week. “The birds all seemed to have a stake in the two Heritage trees (above); the parakeet flew in and then out. Eventually the corellas settled for the smaller cavity in the Gluta malayana while the bigger hornbills claimed the bigger hollow in the Shorea gibbosa tree. “The male hornbill waited outside while his female disappeared into the Shorea cavity (above, left). After a while he flew off and brought back a red fruit, possibly jumbu bol (Syzygium malaccense) which he fed to the female when she peered out from the tree-hole (above, right). It must be quite spacious in there because the male had to dip his head right into the hollow before she reappeared. They flew off after a while. An hour later they were back again for another short visit.

“I'm wondering if these activities in the hollow of the Shorea will harm the tree. Although there are only a few short branches high up there, clumps of fresh young leaves are growing at the ends. The Gluta seems to fare better with more foliage.

“Has the courtship ended? And then will the female be sealed in?”

Angie Ng
27th November 2006

Note: Oriental Pied Hornbills are getting common on mainland Singapore. There is an earlier account on the courtship behaviour of a pair at Changi, seen in October 2006.

Input and images by Angie Ng.

Raid on the hornbill’s potential nesting cavity

For the months of February to May 2006 a pair of Great (Buceros bicronis) and Rhinoceros Hornbills (B. rhinoceros), both female, was regularly prospecting a potential nesting cavity in an old albizia tree (Paraserianthes falcataria) in Eng Neo. Whenever the birds were there the Great, acting in the role of a male, would fly to the cavity and deposit food, presumably figs, inside. This is typical hornbill courtship behaviour, to assure its partner that it would continue to feed her during her confinement within the cavity throughout incubation and nestling development.



















It could be assumed that the cavity would be a storehouse of figs, as daily the Great would repeat this ritual. That this was so was confirmed by visits of other birds like Hill Mynas (Gracula religiosa) (above, left) and Javan Mynas (Acridotheres javanicus) (above, right) entering the cavity and helping themselves to the figs.

Image of Hill Myna by Chan Yoke Meng and of Great Hornbill and Javan Myna by YC.

Another visit by the Great Hornbill

On the evening of 5th August 2006, Matt Quin was pleasantly surprised when a large bird landed on the balcony of his apartment at Bukit Tinggi. He went into the web and found out that it was a Great Hornbill (Buceros bicronis). The bird had a metal ring around its right foot and he presumed rightly that it was an escapee from somewhere.

The hornbill was very comfortable with his presence and stayed for about 15 minutes before it flew off to the balcony of the apartment above his. Matt's final words: “A truly impressive bird!”Yes, the Great Hornbill is truly impressive. This appears to be the only one left, probably an escapee from Jurong Bird Park many, many years ago. It is still flying around the Bukit Timah area, surprising Singaporeans who are generally not familiar with these birds with its presence.

In March this year the bird visited Stephen Lau's apartment, also in the Bukit Timah area. Apparently it roosts at night within the grounds of Brian Ng's condomonium. An earlier posting gives an account of it pairing with the Rhinoceros Hornbill (B. rhinoceros), another impressive bird, and checking on a cavity in an old tree for a potential nest.

Input and images courtesy of Matt Quin.

Oriental Pied Hornbills in Pangkor Island, Peninsular Malaysia

Pangkor Island is a scenic island resort off the west coast of Peninsula Malaysia. And that was where Susan Wong was holidaying recently. What impressed her most was the Oriental Pied Hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris). There were hornbills everywhere. On rooftops, perching on high-tension wires and along roads. She even saw one bird with a deformed bill. She thought that they were as common as crows that can be seen in many Malaysian towns. We in urban Singapore consider ourselves fortunate to be able to see a pair of these hornbills flying overhead or even visiting our urban gardens. In Pulau Ubin we can see more, but as common as crows? Unbelievable to most of us! I have therefore managed to persuade her to share her images of these impressive birds from Pangkor Island for this post. According to Susan: “The birds have been behaving this way for the last ten years.” They have been attracted to certain touristy areas where hotels and restaurants are plentiful. The residents feed them with leftover food as a tourist attraction. Because of this the birds have become so tame that it is almost possible to touch them. In fact Susan says that they look ”…more tame than the birds at bird parks and zoos.” In fact they have become as tame as the Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus). Although there is a patch of lowland rainforest nearby, the hornbills were content to be around people.

Our bird specialist R. Subaraj has this to say: “Based on the timings for flock gatherings at Pangkor, given by Susan, I am of the opinion that while this hornbill is unquestionably common on the island, the larger gatherings are because they roost communally. From dawn onwards, they are together drying and warming up before dispersing to find food while in the evenings they probably start gathering until near dusk, when they go to roost together.”

Input and images by Susan Wong of Malaysia.

What do hornbills eat?

Most Asian hornbills are omnivorous, taking both plant and animal foods. However, there is a preference for fruits and small animals. And figs are the favourite, although there are reports of them feeding on rambutans (Nephelium lappaceum) as well as a great array of forest fruits.

Animals are taken by hornbills, especially during the breeding season. These include scorpions, lizards, geckos, skinks, earthworms, frogs, caterpillars, beetles, butterflies, cicadas, grasshoppers…

Great Hornbills (Buceros bicronis) feed primarily on fruits, especially figs. But they also hunt actively for small animals like snakes, lizards, bird nestlings and eggs, beetles and insects.

Figs are consumed at a rate of about 200 per sitting. The figs are delicately picked with the tips of their mandibles. But not larger figs like those of Roxburg’s fig (Ficus auriculata) (above). These are not swallowed whole but rather eaten piece by piece. Tan Teo Seng, who has a fruit farm in Kota Tinggi, Johor, reports that flocks of Oriental Pied Hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris) invade these trees whenever they are covered with figs.

When hornbills swallow fruits with large seeds, these seeds are regurgitated up to an hour later undamaged. Sometimes seeds are also passed through the digestive tract, which is the case with figs as the seeds are extremely small. As such, hornbills are good seed dispersers of forest plants.

Thanks to Tan Teo Seng for his input. Image of Oriental Pied Hornbill by HK Tang and of Roxburg's fig by YC.

Roost of the Great Hornbill

As far as we know, there is only one Great Hornbill (Buceros bicronis) in Singapore. And this bird is an escapee, probably from the Jurong Bird Park some years ago. For some months now, this bird has paired up with a Rhinoceros Hornbill (B. rhinoceros), another escapee. Two earlier reports (1, 2) give accounts of the activities of these two hornbills prospecting for a nesting cavity in an old albizia tree (Paraserianthes falcataria) around the Eng Neo area. They arrived during most mornings of late February and March 2006, spent half an hour to an hour around the area before leaving. Sometimes they also came during the evenings. Towards late April and May these birds appeared less regularly.

We have always wondered where the birds ended up at night. At last we have part of the answer.

Brian Ng alerted me of a Great Hornbill that regularly arrived every evening around 7.00 to 7.15 pm to spend the night on a branch of a rain tree (Samanea saman) outside his fifth level apartment window around Adam Road. The hornbill stayed all night in this tree but come morning, usually around 6.45 to 7.00 am, it started moving, stretching its wings and preening before flying towards Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Or that was what Brian thought.

But I think it flew to nearby Eng Neo where it met up with the Rhinoceros Hornbill.

The Great was always alone at the roost. And Brian never saw the presence of the Rhinoceros. Now where can the Rhinoceros be roosting at night?

Towards the end of April onwards the bird visited less regularly, coinciding with its irregular visits to the Eng Neo area. Brian has since confirmed (30th May 2006) that "The Great hasn't returned... in the past weeks..."

Thanks Brian for the alert. Image by Chan Yoke Meng.

Brian’s video can be viewed here.

Great and Rhinoceros Hornbills: More images

The courtship behaviour of a Great (Buceros bicronis) and a Rhinoceros Hornbill (B. rhinoceros), both female, at Eng Neo has already been told. However, through the generosity of Meng and Melinda Chan, we are able to showcase here more of what actually happened around the old albizia tree (Paraserianthes falcataria). The pair would meet in the morning and/or evening and the Great (above right, taking on the role of a male) would always check on the cavity. "He" would then fly back to join the Rhinoceros on a nearby branch and delicately fed the latter with a fig. This is the standard courtship ritual. Possibly, this was to reassure her that "he" would keep on feeding her should she be sealed up in the cavity during egg incubation and after (should this happen). Only then would the Rhinoceros fly off to check the potential nest cavity. In the image below you can see a Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradisus) harassing the Rhinoceros. There was always a pair, probably breeding nearby, that followed the hornbills around.
The image on the left shows the Rhinoceros, with her head inside the cavity, checking the interior. The Great is perching on the tree trunk below, waiting for her decision.

The pair has been visiting the tree during February to May, as this is supposed to be the breeding period. There is a report of someone seeing the Rhinoceros entering the cavity, to move out soon after. But there has not been any attempt of the Rhinoceros sealing herself inside the cavity. This would be a distinct possibility, considering that both are females. And a female bird would only enter the cavity and seal herself in after copulation.

Such aberrant behaviour probably arises out of desperation. After all, there is only one of each bird in Singapore, both escapees. And they have come together out of loneliness.

Text by YC, images by Meng and Melinda Chan.

Loneliness makes strange bedfellows: Great and Rhinoceros Hornbills

A pair of hornbills comprising a Great (Buceros bicornis) and a Rhinoceros (B. rhinoceros), both females, have been visiting an old albizia tree (Paraserianthes falcataria) around the Eng Neo area from late February to April to check on a cavity as a possible nesting site.

Every morning and sometimes in the evening, the birds would fly to the tree and inspect the cavity. The Great Hornbill plays the role of a male, trying to lure the Rhinoceros to the cavity by placing food inside. It then flies to the nearby tree to join the Rhinoceros and sometimes feed the latter as part of their courtship ritual. Once in a while the Rhinoceros would respond to the Great’s urging and fly to the cavity to inspect it.
The Great has also been observed to peck hard on the periphery of the cavity in an effort to enlarge the opening.

After some time spent outside the cavity, both birds would fly around, to alight on the yellow flame (Peltophorum pterocarpum) and other trees around the area. There, the pair would stay close together for up to half an hour or so. The Great Hornbill, a probable escapee from Jurong Bird Park, has a metal tag on her right leg. The pair are obviously used to people as they appear tame.

This pair has been seen in Hindehede Quarry prospecting for a potential nesting cavity.

Ng Bee Choo has this to say: "A pair of Great Hornbills died in Sentosa island a number of years ago. This Great Hornbill must be very desperate. Morten Strange has seen it once in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, checking a nesting hole. Both hornbills belong to the genus Buceros. In Thailand, according to Dr Pilai Poonswad, these two hornbills mated and produced a hybrid. In the above case both birds are females. They have paired up for company… however, if they try to mate, this must be a case of lesbian birds. Must be recorded as a case study of birds in desperation."

Top image (Great left, Rhinoceros right) and bottom of Great inspecting cavity by YC.

Tales of a Rhinoceros Hornbill

Kwek Siew Jin, a member of the Nature Society (Singapore), had an exciting encounter with a Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) while out walking with a group of friends in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve one day. Below is Siew Jin's account of the encounter:

“On 6th January 2006, our group of four hikers was on our normal weekly walk, this time going through the former turf club to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

“On reaching Senapang Road at about 11am, I noticed a pair of Greater Racket-tailed Drongos (Dicrurus paradisus) flying around in an agitated manner and heard a loud honking noise coming from the tree tops. Within a short while a big bird that I recognised as a hornbill (but not which one) flew across an open space in the forest, chased by the pair of Drongos. I was thrilled to see such a large and beautiful bird in our forest! I chased and caught up with the birds when the hornbill landed on a tree and began to eat the fruits from the branches.
“Taking photos of the bird from below the tree with the hornbill hopping around plucking fruits was not easy, especially in the low light and without a long lens and tripod. However, it was certainly an experience to see this beautiful bird and to hear its loud honking calls. I only identified it as a Rhinoceros Hornbill when I got home and looked it up in the bird guide book.”

Ong Hui Guan similarly wrote on 19th March 2006: “I read about your project in Nature News. I shot a picture of a Great Hornbill on 18 Dec 05 - the bird flew into Dairy Farm Estate late afternoon. It visited Dairy Farm Estate subsequently with a partner a few weeks later and the two birds also hung around Bukit Timah Hill for a while - not sure if it is still there”

Comment by YC: This species is an escapee that has been sighted on an off in Singapore for some years now. See here for other sightings and here for an account of its possible mate.

Input by Kwek Siew Jin and Ong Hui Guan, image by YC (top) and Siew Jin (bottom).

An excellent video of a male Rhinoceros Hornbill feeding its family sealed inside the nest cavity, filmed in Thailand by our very own Prof. Ng Soon Chye, can be viewed here.

Hornbill Project Singapore

The Hornbill Project Singapore is the brainchild of French naturalist, Marc Cremades of the Winged Migration fame. The ides came two years ago when he visited Pulau Ubin with long-time local birder, Prof Ng Soon Chye.

Much is known about these large and wonderful birds but relatively little is known about the breeding behaviour. We know that the female is confined inside a tree cavity during egg incubation and the development of the nestlings. During this 6-7 weeks, the male bird regularly and faithfully brings food to feed his mate and later the nestlings as well. Only when the nestlings are ready to fledge will the seal be broken. However, next to nothing is known what happens inside the sealed nest.

The project is using infrared video cameras to monitor activities inside and outside the nests. Male birds will be tagged with a miniaturised GPS to track their movements. A temperature gauge placed inside the nest will study the temperature fluctuations. A gas sampling system has also been installed in the nest cavity.

So far, five females have already been installed inside their nest cavities and at least one has laid a clutch of eggs. The project has found that as soon as the female is installed inside the nest, she sheds her rectrix and remex feathers.

Local partners of the project include National Parks Board, Jurong Bird Park, National University of Singapore, National Technological University and the BESGroup of the Nature Society (Singapore). International partners include ornithologists and scientists from France and Thailand.

As the Bird Ecology Study Group is directly involved in this hornbill project, we are monitoring sightings of these birds on mainland Singapore. Information on dates; number of birds; whether male, female or juvenile; locations and time of sightings can be sent to me at wee37@starhub.net.sg. This information would come in useful when we plot the flight range of these hornbills.

We are grateful to the many who have sent in sightings on the Oriental Pied Hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris convexus)as well as the Great (Buceros bicornis) and Rhinoceros (B. rhinoceros) Hornbills.

Read the more detailed account of the project in the latest issue of Asian Geographic (No. 35 Issue 2/2006).

Image comes from the title page of the hornbill article in Asian Geographic.

A Great Hornbill came for a visit

We regularly see the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros malayanus) in mainland Singapore and in Pulau Ubin. But Stephen Lau had a treat when a Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis) came for a visit at his condomonium around the Bukit Timah area.

One morning in May 2005, just as Stephen was about to leave his apartment for an appointment, he heard the heavy falpping of wings and deep harsh sounds coming from his balcony. Curious, he went to investigate. He had a treat of his life when he saw perching comfortably on the railing, a very large black and white bird with a yellow neck and black-rimmed red eyes. It had a large and prominent yellowish bill and casque. Without doubt it was a hornbill. In fact it is no ordinary hornbill. It was a female Great Hornbill, definitely an escapee as a metal tag can clearly be seen round its right leg.

It sat there looking at Stephen and started chewing and spitting seeds of some fruits kept hidden in its big beak. Intrigued, he offered the bird a slice of papaya on a plate. The bird scrambled off to his neighbour's unit but returned later to finish off the piece of papaya.

Input and image by Stephen Lau.

Oriental Pied Hornbills in urban Singapore

Once upon a time, there were three species of hornbills present in Singapore. However, due to rapid development and large-scale deforestation, all three species became extinct in the late 19th century.

One species, the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris convexus), has made a comeback. There are many of this bird in the offshore island of Pulau Ubin. The original nucleus probably arrived years ago from nearby Johor, Malaysia. On mainland Singapore they are also present, probably originating from a pair of escapees. These birds have now established themselves and are actively breeding.

Many sightings have been reported from mainland Singapore during the last few years, from areas around Kent Ridge, Bukit Timah, Sembawang, Seletar, etc. They often visit urban gardens, foraging for fruits like rambutans and figs. In most cases the birds were shy, flying off when approached.

This year alone there have been a number of sightings. In January, Fuhai Heng saw a family group comprising father, mother and a juvenile in Sembawang. In February, Johnny Wee encountered one feasting on rambutan fruits in Yio Chu Kang Gardens. And Angie Ng saw her pair in an angsana tree (Pterocarpus indicus) next to Changi Meridian Hotel. Similarly Goh Si Guim encountered a pair during his nature walk, examining a cavity in a pulai tree (Alstonia sp.). This pair was obviously looking for a sutitable nesting hole. Also in February, Vilma d’Rozario’s colleague Angelia spotted one flying across the Pan Island Expressway, along that stretch between Eng Neo and Bukit Timah exits. James Heng similarly saw a bird in Upper Seletar Reservoir.

Reporting from Binjai Park, Marisa Keller wrote in saying that the bird was commonly seen around her neighbourhood. She first sighted two birds in July 2005, some juveniles on 15th October and three birds on 30th October. Marisa says: "In the 13 years I live here I never saw or heard a Pied Hornbill."

Our bird specialist R. Subaraj has this to say: “There have been several hornbill sightings, of various species, over the years and from various parts of Singapore. While all are regarded as escapees, we cannot be entirely certain that we do not receive strays from Malaysia. Based on the locations of the above reports, it may be that most were Oriental Pied Hornbills as three have been seen off and on at the Bukit Tinggi/Binjai Park area. These may be part of a feral population that started years ago at Upper Seletar Reservoir. The other possibilities are Great Hornbill (Buceros bicronis) or Rhinoceros Hornbill (B. rhinoceros), as there appears to be one of each at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve."

Hornbills are still around in Singapore. So the next time you see a large black and white bird with a large and prominent beak flapping noisily about, chances are that the bird is a hornbill.


Input by Fuhai Heng, Goh Si Guim, James Heng, Vilma D'Rozario, Johnny Wee, Marisa Keller and R Subaraj. Images from top down: YC, Johnny Wee, Fuhai Heng and Marisa Keller.