THAILAND HORNBILL PROJECT
For more information:
www.zoo.org/conserve/worldwide/hornbill.html
The Oakland Zoo participates in the Hornbill Nest Adoption Project through Thailand’s Hornbill Research Foundation, which is led by Dr. Pilai Poonswand. Funding sent to this project helps the foundation collect data on the biological and ecological aspects of these birds, including their important ecological role in dispersing seeds throughout the forest. It is said that the forests need the hornbill as much as the hornbills need the forests!
Hornbills are medium-sized to large birds with large, brightly-colored and often elaborately structured bills. They vary greatly in size ranging from 15 inches to 4 feet. Hornbills are distributed throughout the Old World Tropics with 25 species occurring in Africa and 20 in Asia. Most species consume fruit when it is available but otherwise will eat almost any animal they can overpower. Hornbill species except for the large ground hornbills nest in tree cavities. The nesting technique where the female is walled in the cavity using feces, food particles, and mud is unique to the hornbill.
The Hornbill Nest Adoption Project, founded in 1998 in Budo-Sangai National Park, pays the local rural communities to watch over the nests of hornbills. This provides a financial incentive for protecting the hornbills and also instills a spirit of stewardship over the forest and its wildlife. This is a win-win situation, providing income to the community, protecting the hornbills, and aiding researchers in collecting valuable data about the species.
For more information:
www.zoo.org/conserve/worldwide/hornbill.html
