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HORNBILL
นกเงือก : สัญญลักษณ์ของป่าดงดิบ
Hornbill pictureNatural hollow which is used to be the hornbil's nest

So lovely but a little bit primitively looked for its face, hornbill's doestn't have beautiful colour as other kind of birds, mostly get black-white feather or grey and brown. It is one of the largest and strongest bird with its body is 1-1.5 metres long and a wing span of up to 2 metres.
With a great curved bill that is out of proportion to its small body including great hollow casque above its bill that make hornbill look dominently. Only on species of hornbill; Helmeted, that its casque is not hollow. Of the 54 hornbill species worldwide classified by its difference of casque, 13 are found in Thailand (expect that one of them may already be extinct).
  1. Rufous-necked Hornbill, Aceros nipalensis
  2. Plain-pounched Hornbill, Rhyticeros subruficollis
  3. Helmeted Hornbill, Rhinoplax vigil
  4. White-crowned Hornbill, Berenicornis comatus
  5. Wrinkled Hornbill, Rhyticeros corrugatus
  6. Black Hornbill, Anthracoceros malayanus
  7. Rhinoceros Hornbill, Buceros rhinoceros
  8. Brown Hornbill, Ptilolaemus tickelli
  9. Bushy-crested Hornbill, Anorrhinus galeritus
  10. Wreathed Hornbill, Rhyticeros undulatus
  11. Oriental Pied Hornbill, Anthracoceros albirostris
  12. Great Hornbill, Buceros bicornis
Normally, hornbill are found especially in the tropical forest zone of Africa and Asia. It is omnivorous and eats both fruit and flesh (inserts or earthworms). Its favourite fruit is "Figs:. One important thing we leart from hornbill's way of life is the fertility conditions of forest.
Hornbill's nest has its own uniqueness. It will be made in large hollow trees which the hole may be dug by another kind of birds or may be a hole occurred by nature. The female hornbil will decorate its nest by a piece of wood, dried grass, dried mud and piece of its own dung. The mouth of nest will be narrowed to a small slit for her mate to feed her through.
Breeding of hornbill usually occur around the end of winter, at the beginning of January to February. The female hornbill will seal herself in the until its chick will grow enough. Normally, hornbill will produce 2-3 chicks, but actually seen is only one. The hornbill female's mate will feed its chick with different kind of foods, mostly set a menu by female hornbill .
Only few enemies that hornbills have. The most harmful one is a mud dauber which is always waiting to do harm to the chick. The other kind of hornbill's enemy is a crow which tries to strike the chick while training to fly alone.
Coming of rainy season, it is the time that nesting of hornbill will end up. A crowd of hornbills either small or large or sometimes around 1,000 hornbills, will then fly together and disapper to the deep forest. No one knows where they hide themselves.
Hornbill's way of living plays a great important role to the forest ecosystem. It can be both the hunter and can act as agents of forest regeneration. It can control the continuance of forest health and species richness to be in balancing conditions.

Story & Photo .... Saroj Petarrangsri, Get in touch with hornbill's way of Living, Siam smile, Volume 17, March 1997, P.65
Hornbill Research Foundation, Thailand.