oriental pied-hornbills @ SBWR

It was about 5pm when an oriental pied-hornbill flew to a tree near the SBWR main bridge with something in its mouth. The snack looked like a small tree climbing crab. The bird flew across to a perch on a dead tree at the far side of the main bridge where it seemed to be looking into a hollow in the tree as if it wanted to store the crab in the hollow. The hornbill was soon joined by another smaller hornbill. This one had a reddish spot on both sides of the lower corner of its bill closer to its mouth and the front of its horn was noticeably darker than that of the larger bird. The smaller bird immediately took the crab from the bill of the larger bird and eyed it for a microsecond before giving it back to the larger bird which re-positioned the crab in its bill before passing it back to the smaller bird. However, the smaller bird did not want it and returned it to the larger bird which seemed to finally swallow the crab.

The two birds then hacked way at the wood on the dead tree chipping up bits off and swallowing some of it. The birds flew off after a while but came back to different but adjacent trees. The smaller bird continued to chip way at the dead tree eating bits of the decaying wood. Perhaps the wood helps digestion by absorbing harmful substances in their guts to be passed out later.

Read more about the oriental pied-hornbill here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/birds/albirostris.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Pied_Hornbill
http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2009/01/intelligent-nests-for-pied-hornbills-in.html
http://besgroup.talfrynature.com/index.php?s=Anthracoceros+albirostris
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/ecolodge/58/oph/nesting.html
http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2011/05/oriental-pied-hornbills-sbwr-30apr2011_04.html
http://sgbeachbum.blogspot.com/2011/07/oriental-pied-hornbill-chek-jawa.html

oriental pied-hornbill @ Chek Jawa 23July2011

This hornbill showed up at a palm tree close to the Chek Jawa Information Station. It's arrival was announced by a distinctive loud shreeking call. It went about picking ripe palm berries and ate a few before it flew off deeper into the surrounding foliage. Perhaps it had decided that the noisy irritating humans did not deserve an up close encounter with it. Do remember to remain quiet in the reserves and parks so that the animals are not spooked away!

Read more about the oriental pied-hornbill here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/birds/albirostris.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Pied_Hornbill
http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2009/01/intelligent-nests-for-pied-hornbills-in.html

oriental pied-hornbills @ SBWR 30Apr2011

A couple of birdwatchers looking up into the trees at the Mangrove Boardwalk piqued my interest as I could not make out what they were intently pointing and looking at. A change of viewpoint soon highlighted a pair of backlit birds with distinctive bills...hornbills!

The pair were grooming themselves on top of a mangrove tree. The bird on the left occasionally groomed the bird on the right. The bird on the right occasionally spread out its wings as if to give them a good stretch and even seemed to twist its neck.... It was as if the bird was doing some warm up exercises in preparation for some strenuous activity...or perhaps some confinement. Perhaps this was a mating pair with the female getting ready to be holed up somewhere close by.  The birds had disappeared when I next looked up.

Later, I had overheard a volunteer saying that the hornbills may have been introduced to the reserve from elsewhere in Singapore as part of a breeding/re-introduction project.

Read more about the hornbills here :
http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/birds/albirostris.htm
http://besgroup.talfrynature.com/index.php?s=Anthracoceros+albirostris
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/ecolodge/58/oph/nesting.html