The Thammasat University Library has acquired a book of interest for all students who care about nature and the environment in the Kingdom.
The Asian hornbills: ecology and conservation was edited by Philai Ponsawat. The book gathers research that was produced for the International Asian Hornbill Workshop. It was published by the Biodiversity Research and Training Program of the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, with support from the Thailand Research Fund in collaboration with Science Society of Thailand.
The book is shelved in the Pridi Banomyong Library. It includes observations on such subjects as Some notes on the hornbills of Borneo; the distribution, status and conservation of hornbills in Cambodia; a survey of hornbills in rain forest habitats of peninsular Malaysia; Papuan hornbills in the Moluccas; hornbill study in Nepal; notes on some observations of the habitats and biology of hornbills in Sri Lanka; hornbills in the Singapore Zoological Reference Collection; DNA sequence variation and hornbill conservation; a review of the captive breeding of Asian hornbills at the Jurong BirdPark, Singapore; nesting habitat characteristics, breeding biology, and conservation of the Malabar grey hornbill in Anamalai, southern Western Ghats, India; comparative study of the breeding biology and ecology of two endangered hornbill species in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand; some aspects of food and feeding ecology of sympatric hornbill species in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand; home ranges and daily movements of the Sulawesi red-knobbed hornbill Aceros cassidix during the non-breeding season; a comparative study of the loud calls of some Asian hornbills; aspects of population dynamics of tree species in a tropical rain forest in peninsular Malaysia; forest management and the conservation of the great hornbill Buceros bicornis in southern India; status of nest cavities of hornbills in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand; phenology of some Ficus species and utilisation of Ficus sources in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand; the role of captive propagation in the conservation of Asian hornbills; molecular genetics and the conservation of hornbills in fragmented landscapes; techniques of bird sound recording for sonogram analysis; sound spectrographic and contextual analysis of bird calls with some reference to hornbill vocalisations; and long term ecological research plot for the study of animal diets in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand, among other topics.
The TU Library also owns other books about hornbills.
Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family of birds found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are most easily recognized by their heavy bill, which they use for fighting, building nests, and catching prey.
TU students who are not focusing on biology may also recognize hornbills from the Disney film series The Lion King, where they appear as characters.
A website about birding in Thailand rates the Great Hornbill as number three among the 10 Most Wanted Birds in Thailand, in terms of which birds are most popular among birdwatchers.
As press reports have indicated, the birds are being killed to make jewelry and other ornaments. Deforestation is another problem, as Asian hornbills require forests to thrive. In the Philippines, one species is vulnerable and two are endangered. In Malaysia, the hornbill was used as official mascot of a political party, the Democratic Action Party. The Rhinoceros hornbill is the official state animal of Sarawak, a Malaysian state in Borneo. Great hornbill, a member of the hornbill family, is the official state bird of Kerala, an Indian state.
Thailand and the Hornbill
As the Bangkok Post reported in January,
One of the first things you notice about hornbills, apart from their sickle-shaped bills and quiff-like casques, is they have funny names — rhinoceros, helmeted, wreathed, wrinkled and trumpeter, to name just a few — but the threat of their extinction is no laughing matter. Certainly not for Preeda Thiensongrassamee, 47, a leading member of the Thailand Hornbill Project (THP) under the Hornbill Research Foundation (HRF). Now mostly endangered in Thailand, hornbills reflect the richness of forest ecosystems — nine species have been recorded in Surat Thani’s Khao Sok National Park alone — while highlighting the threat industrialisation poses to the environment and its flora and fauna. “Our forests are shrinking and wild animals are struggling to survive in their natural habitats, especially great hornbills,” said Mr Preeda.
“These birds symbolise the abundance of life in Thai forests, and how this has come under threat. Everyone should consider it their duty to protect the environment.”… Around 13 of the world’s 57 species of hornbill, recognised by their super-sized yellow, black or orange bills, still live in Thailand. The lucky ones are classified as “vulnerable”, mostly as a result of deforestation, the poaching of chicks for food and the illegal wildlife trade.
Among efforts underway is the Budo Hornbill Conservation & Education Center (BHCEC), collaborating with the Thailand Hornbill Project based at Tapoh Village, Narathiwat Province. BHCEC was is funded by the Chester Zoo, United Kingdom; Woodland Park Zoo, United States of America; Siam Cement PCL., Clinag Co. Ltd.; and The Government Lottery Office, among others. It provides conservation lessons each year to about 400 schoolteachers, young people, and villagers in the area.
Further conservation efforts
As the website of the Oriental Bird Club notes:
Threats to hornbills and future conservation of hornbills Hornbill populations are declining. The major threat is from rapid loss of habitat through deforestation, but hornbills are also threatened by poaching of chicks for food and for the illegal wildlife trade. Animal traders are willing to pay large sums of money for hornbill chicks. Poaching of chicks is considered to be an important threat in southern Thailand.
The Hornbill Research Foundation has set up a Hornbill Family Adoption Program. This aims to raise funds to provide extra income for villagers to protect any nesting hornbills they find and collect data on them. For details of how to adopt a hornbill family, please contact the Hornbill Research Foundation.
The Hornbill Research Foundation is based at the Faculty of Science, Mahidol University and Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University.
The website for Khao Sok National Park in Southern Thailand points out:
There are 57 different species of hornbill in the world, nine of which live in Khao Sok National Park. Hornbills are characterized by a long, downcurved bill with a casque (horn) on top… Great Hornbills have a wingspan of about 1.5 m, making them Khao Sok’s largest birds! The height of hornbills can range from 30 cm to 1 m (without counting their tail). Hornbills can live up to 30 years of age, and are mostly black and white in color with some yellow and red usually on their casques. Most species are classified between ‘lower risk’ and ‘near threatened’ by the IUCN. The Great and Helmeted Hornbills are listed in appendix I of CITES, since the casque can be used as a carving material, similar to ivory.
Did you know…?
… that hornbills have eyelashes, protecting their eyes from debris? Take a close look next time you spot one!
Diet:
Hornbills are omnivorous with a range of diets from almost wholly carnivorous to almost wholly frugivorous (fruit eating) species. Their diet consists of fruit, berries, insects, small mammals, other birds, other birds’ eggs and reptiles. Few species appear to need water to drink, most gaining all the moisture they need from food.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)