Sharing some facts and misconceptions about Hornbills in Malaysia.

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Read this thread for English reader. The video is in Malay to engage more Malay-speaking communities in the country.

1. HORNBILLS AND TOUCAN ARE DIFFERENT!

Animated films made Toucan famous across the globe and people tend to confuse it with Hornbills. Toucans are only found in South America (the Neotropics), while Hornbills are distributed in Asia and Africa.

There is a total of 57 species of Hornbills (new census revealed 62 species), with 32 species in Asia. There are 10 species altogether in Malaysia, ranking us at the 2nd spot together with Myanmar and Philippines after Indonesia and Thailand with 13 species.

2. BOTH BORNEO AND PENINSULAR MALAYSIA HAVE HORNBILLS!

In fact,PM has more species of Hornbills than our Borneo counterparts with only 8 species. These includes
-Helmeted
-Rhinoceros
-Great
-Wreathed
-Plain-pouched
-White Crowned
-Black
-Bushy-crested
-Wrinkled HB
-Oriental-pied

The Plain-pouched Hornbill is restricted only in Belum Temengor Forest Complex and Ulu Muda Forest Complex in Malaysia which are closed to our neighbour, Thailand.

Most of the other forested areas in PM can sustain 8 to 9 species of Hornbills.

However, people tend to associate Hornbills with Borneo thus the misconception of Hornbills are only found there! Sarawak made it famous by using Hornbill as their official State Bird. Hornbill trademarks are also found in various logos associated with Borneo, inc Sarawak c.o.a.

3. GREAT HORNBILL IS NOT FOUND IN SARAWAK

Another common misconception is associating Great Hornbill with Borneo. In PM, they are usually found in northern states as well as East-coast states i.e Terengganu and Kelantan. Langkawi is one of the best places to observe them too!

Although not found in Borneo, they are sometimes being used in banners, murals, etc. This species is often confused with the state bird, Rhinoceros Hornbill.

Those two might look alike but the key difference is at the casque. Rhino: upright-curved reddish, Great: flat yellow

4. HORNBILLS ARE FARMERS OF THE FOREST

Hornbills play a critical role in dispersing seeds over large distances. They consume various fruits including figs which is super important to almost all herbivores in the forest!

Since they can fly and travel great distances, they can rehabilitate degraded areas by 'planting' new fig and fruiting trees when they poop. Their foraging behaviour and physiology also ensure better germination of seedlings compared to other species.

As compared to other species who consume fruits, hornbills are able to disperse seeds further from the parental tree. This in turn provides more food sources for other herbivores living in areas with fewer fruiting trees.

5. HORNBILLS NEST IN NATURAL TREE CAVITIES

Unlike some birds whose nests are made out of leaves & twigs, Hornbills utilise natural cavities as nest. However, they don't build their own cavities (like woodpeckers) but use natural holes or holes made by others including Sun Bears.

Most species of Hornbills mate for life. Once the pair is established and copulation occurs, the females will enter the cavities and sealed off the opening with muds and other materials leaving only a small space for its bill to protrude out.

It will then lays egg(s) and live inside this 'hot oven' for a couple of months until the hatchling is big enough and there is not enough space for both of them to be in the same cavity.

At the same time, the male is responsible to find food to feed the mum and the baby from outside the cavity via the opening where their bills can protrude out and receive food from the father. This is a crucial time for the family, and also a super tiring process for the dad!

Once the mum left the nest, she then will help the dad in finding food for the baby who is still growing within the cavity. As the baby grew larger, it needs more and more food where both parents will work tirelessly in finding food and bringing it back.

Around 5 months, the baby is big enough to explore the world. It will remove the sealings and fledged out of the nest. Once out, it'll stretch its wings, dry its feathers as well as figuring the kinks of a new strange world outside of its hole.
Watch here:

Both parents and the young will fly off forage together until the young is big enough to find a mate and establish new territories. The process continues.

That is all for the facts. An important take away point here is they are on the brink of extinction. Out of the10 species that we have, 8 are Threatened, 1 is Near-threatened and only 1 is Least Concern (IUCN RedList).

The most worrying case is the Helmeted Hornbill where it is now Critically Endangered (CR) due to poaching. CR is the last stage before this species goes extinct in the wild (similar to Malayan Tiger). Other hornbills are threatened largely due to the impact of habitat loss.

Everyone has a role to play. Scientists let's do our science. Conservationists, please keep on fighting the good cause.

Public, please support conservation efforts. Start by getting to know our species, appreciate their roles and their uniqueness.

Tak kenal maka tak cinta.