July 2008. Hindhede Park, Singapore

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:  Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Bucerotidae
Genus: Buceros
Species: B. rhinoceros

Binomial name Buceros rhinoceros
Linnaeus, 1758

The Rhinoceros Hornbill, Buceros rhinoceros, is one of the largest hornbills, growing up to 122 cm. Only the Helmeted Hornbill is larger, being up to 127 cm in length. The Rhinoceros Hornbill lives in captivity for up to 35 years. It is found in only the highest form of rain forest.

Like most other hornbills, the male has orange or red eyes, and the female has whitish eyes. This bird has a mainly white beak and casque (the tip of the casque curves upward strikingly), but there are orange places here and there. It has white underparts, especially to the tail. This bird lives in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.

For some Dayak people, the Rhinoceros Hornbill represents their war god, Singalang Burong. It is the state bird of the Malaysian state of Sarawak

Hornbills are large, black or brown, and white, mainly arboreal birds, with long, heavy bills. Many species have large protuberant casques on top of the bill which may be gaudily coloured. Hornbills are found throughout Africa and tropical Asia, and throughout Indonesia to New Guinea. They eat fruit and insects and have harsh, penetrating calls.

The nesting habits of the family are interesting. The incubating females are usually sealed into tree hole nests with mud, leaving only a small aperture through which food can be passed by the male. When the young are hatched the female breaks out but reseals the nest entrance again until the young are ready to leave. Ten species of hornbill occur in Sumatra, eight in Borneo, but only three are found in Java.

Description: Very large (110 cm), black and white hornbill with large yellow and red bill and casque, and diagnostic white tail with a broad black band. Head, back, wings, and breast black; belly and thighs white.
Iris-white to blue in females, red in males; skin around eyes-dark grey; bill yellow with red base and surmounted by upturned spiralling casque; feet-greenish grey.

Voice: Loud, harsh roar kronnk, repeated by either sex and often given in chorus with one partner slightly later than the other. Sharper gak note given just before flight.

Range: SE Asia, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Borneo, and Java. Absent from Bali.

Distribution and Status: This species is found in low densities in most large blocks of lowland and hill forest. It is very conspicuous because of its size, habits, and call but in fact is generally present at low density.

Habits: Pairs inhabit the crowns of the tallest trees. A regular visitor to fruiting giant strangling figs. Gives a dramatic whooshing sound of wing-beats in flight.

I took this photo in Bukit Timah National Reserve, in Hindhede park, Singapore. That time I spot 2 hornbill here, but the monkey try to chasing them, so that moment is just so fast, the hornbill went away. But lucky I still able to get their photos.
How to go to Bukit Timah? you can take the MRT to Newton Station (NS21), then take SMRT Bus 171.
Location: 177 Hindhede Drive Singapore 589333
Tel: (65) 6468 5736

Reference/Source:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros_Hornbill
• http://www.forestry.sarawak.gov.my/forweb/wildlife/center/semeng/hbill/rhorn.htm

Photo Gallery: Rhinoceros Hornbill

June 2008. Pulau Ubin, Singapore

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Bucerotidae
Genus: Anthracoceros
Species: A. albirostris

Binomial name Anthracoceros albirostris
(Shaw & Nodder, 1807)

The Oriental pied-hornbills on Pulau Ubin are the only truly wild hornbills found on Singapore. Unlike most other hornbills, Oriental pied-hornbills can be found outside primary rainforests and may visit inhabited areas to feed on fruit. But they still depend on large living trees for nesting sites.

Big Bill: The hornbill’s trademark is its large, long bill. The bill, however, is not as heavy as it appears. It is not made of solid bone but of a honeycombed tissue. An adult Oriental pied-hornbill has a casque (a knob on top of the bill) which is yellow-white. The male has a larger casque with few black marks, while the female has a smaller casque with more black marks. The Oriental pied-hornbill is basically a black-and-white bird: mostly black with a white belly and thighs, and white accents around the eye, on the wing tips and tail.

Hornbill Food: Hornbills eat mainly fruit, but they also take insects and small animals including reptiles, birds and mammals. Oriental pied-hornbills often forage in pairs or small groups, often rather quietly for such large birds. When they do call, it is harsh and penetrating and has been described as a loud, staccato cackling; or a yak-yak-yak; and even as the cackling of a witch on a broomstick! They fly rather awkwardly.

Sealed with Love: Oriental pied-hornbills breed on Pulau Ubin, nesting 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.

Role in the habitat: The Oriental pied-hornbill plays an important role in the health of the forest as it disperses seeds that are too big for smaller birds to eat.

Human uses: In Sarawak, hornbills are hunted for their meat and feathers. The Helmeted hornbill (Buceros vigil) is hunted for its bill which is solid and can be carved like ivory. The hornbill is Sarawak’s state bird.

Status and threats: Hornbills are no longer seen on mainland Singapore. The Oriental pied-hornbills on Pulau Ubin are considered visitors from Malaysia which later started breeding on the island. Two other hornbills were once recorded in Singapore but are now no longer found: The Rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) and the Helmeted hornbill (Buceros vigil).

I took the photograph in pulau ubin, Singapore, you can reach this place by using public transport BUS no, the way I took is, I took MRT to kembangan station or you can go to Eunos station (green line) then take SBS bus no 2. you can check the timetable here. After arrive in changi village you take the bamboo boat, maximum is about 12 passangers, just wait there, the boat man will guide you. The cost per person is S$2.5 (2008). In Pulau ubin you can rent the bycicle to go around or walk, I prefer walk because I can observe more. It’s quite easy to see this oriental hornbill here, but you need patient and good eyes to see them.

Source: http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/text/f221.htm

Photo Gallery: Oriental Pied-hornbill