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Oriental Pied Hornbill courtship

on 27th November 2006

A pair of Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) was seen at Changi Village around 5.45 pm in early October 2006 in a courtship ritual. The pair was perching on the branch of one of the old angsana trees (Pterocarpus indicus) lining the main road. The male had just caught a gecko, which, in its struggle to get free, lost its tail (above).

The bird approached his mate and offered the gecko to her. The mate appeared to accept, opening her bill, but apparently he was just teasing her (above and below).

The male bird trotted off along the branch, soon followed by the female. He then flew off to a nearby tree trunk with a cavity that developed as a result of faulty pruning of a branch. There he waited for some time with the gecko still in his bill. He then went through the motion of placing the gecko inside the cavity a few times without getting the female to fly over (below).

After some time trying to entice her to come over to check on the cavity, as is usual with hornbills, he flew off to a nearby branch to eat the morsel himself.

See also the courtship between a Great Hornbill (Buceros bicronis) and a Rhinoceros Hornbill (B. rhinoceros) here.

Input and images by Meng and Melinda Chan.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

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