THE female hornbill waits patiently inside a clay jar for her male partner to return. Lying low, with only her long beak peeking out of the small entrance, she is like the faithful wife waiting longingly for the safe return of her husband.
Her anticipation heightens as she hears a familiar sound from the sky but her mate stands perched on a tree branch, monitoring the human presence and ensuring that we had left before finally landing on the ground and moving closer to the clay jar while calling out to his partner.
The male hornbill then fed his mate a long centipede through the narrow opening of the jar that was half covered in mud.
Not until she has finished the meal does he leave her side to find more food, flying back and forth for at least the next three months while the female cares for their newborn inside the nest.
The scene played out at Kg Sg Panjang in Selangor and the birds are from the Southern Pied Hornbill species (Anthracoceros albirostris convexus), which is said to be common in Malaysia.
It is a sub-species of the Oriental Pied Hornbill and, according to Associate Professor Dr Ahmad Ismail from Universiti Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) biology department, are commonly found at the Sg Karang forest reserve.
“Four other species also thrive at this forest reserve and they are all totally protected under the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972.
“However, past clearing has put pressure on the forest and its surroundings which, in turn, has forced the birds to move to other areas like oil palm plantations and villages,” said Ahmad, who has been carrying out research on the adaptability and public acceptance towards the birds.
One of Ahmad’s Masters students, Nurul Hudha Mohd Jamil said she had been speaking to the villagers, getting their support and organising hornbill programmes for children like colouring activities to instill a sense of love and protection for the birds.
She said she could identify at least five pairs of hornbills in the area and some even flocked in groups of five to six.
Villager Mohammad Ali Ngah said the male would often peck at his window in the mornings.
“I’ve been staying here with my family for the last seven years but the hornbills have been around longer than that.
“They even chose this clay jar as their nesting spot until the fledgling can fly four months later. They are quite picky about their nesting spot as I’ve tried putting other items around but they are not tempted to move,” Mohammad Ali, 63, said.
He added that he had noticed that once the young bird was fully grown, the mother would leave the nest and the now adult fledgling would take over the jar as its own nesting site.
Villager Mokhtar Sulaiman, 48, said the locals there had grown accustomed to the birds in their village.
“If I’m not mistaken, there are probably between 30 and 40 of them. When we sit down for drinks at the coffee shops, they will be on the tree nearby.
“But we do not disturb them. Why should we, when they don’t cause us any harm?
“I hope the state government or other authorities could gazette this area for hornbill conservation,” said Mokhtar, who has been living there for 20 years.
Moving on to another home, villager Mohamad Said Aman was seen feeding oil palm seeds to another female hornbill nesting inside a clay jar.
There seems to be a sincere connection between the villagers and the hornbills for now, but Ahmad is still concerned over the possibility of conflict.
“When the number of hornbills increases and they start to feed on the fruit trees, it may make the villagers angry.
“I have proposed that the Agriculture Department distribute fruit plants to the villagers so that there will be more sources of food for the birds. The villagers will also benefit from the extra trees.
“When you have the support of the villagers, this place can be developed into a tourist attraction and the village, a model for public participation in conservation,” Ahmad said.
“What is also important is maintaining the ecology of the Sg Karang forest reserve, with regular monitoring of all ecological parameters, biodiversity and surrounding activities like irrigation systems.
“The change in water levels may result in dying trees which are needed by hornbills to build their nests and support their diet. Otherwise, the birds will migrate elsewhere,” Ahmad said.
He added that for a conservation programme like this to work, it required the support from agencies like the Wildlife Department, the Agriculture Department, the Forestry Department and also the tourism authorities.