![]() He has been heard but he has not gone in after several altercations with Xavier. The good news at the Peregrine Falcon Nest in the scrape box on the grounds of Charles Sturt University in Orange, Australia is that Izzi – cute little Izzi – has not been in the scrape box for six days. One of the Storklings on the Siguldas Black Stork nest in Latvia has decided to get up close and personal with the camera and its supports while it waits for Grafs or Grafiene to bring them their breakfast. The nest is in the Karula National Park in Estonia. ![]() Karl arrives on the right and feeds the hungry storklings quickly. The glare of the sun on the camera creates a strong glow so you can’t see clearly what is going on. Karl II arrived at 8:10 to feed the three fledglings on the Black Stork nest in Estonia. Tiny Little is off to a great start to the day! Go Tiny Little! Tiny Little was busy eating it while sibling 462 waited on the nest. In other news, Tiny Little Bob or Blue 463 nabbed the first fish of the morning on the Foulshaw Moss Osprey Nest in Cumbria. “Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros)” by Mark Louis Benedict is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 It was overwhelming to see the forest being obliterated. When I was there the wood was being shipped to China on those huge boats. The large trees that occupied the forested areas of Borneo are being cut down at an alarming rate. It is also hunted for food as well as for items that are believed to give men virility including the feathers and the skull. One of the biggest threats to its existence is the loss of the rainforest where it lives and builds its nest. The Rhinoceros Hornbill is listed as vulnerable. Ninety days after the chicks hatch, the female will break open the mud covering to the nest. It helps protect the nest from any type of predator including lizards and snakes. The only opening is a small oval hole where the male feeds the female during her confinement that lasts 50 days. Once made she helps her bonded-for-life mate seal her into the cavity with mud. When the female is ready to lay her 1-3 eggs, she will locate a cavity in a tree trunk (or sometimes a rock formation) to make her nest. They are cavity nesters but with a twist. The Hornbills are very unique in their nesting habits. “Rhinoceros Hornbill” by Steve Wilson – over 10 million views Thanks !! is licensed under CC BY 2.0 It is the easiest way to recognize each of the genders. In comparison, this is an image of the male so that you can see the difference in their eye colour. “Rhinoceros Hornbill” by shankar s. is licensed under CC BY 2.0 The eyes of the male are red with black rims while those of the female are white with a red rim like the one below. It is hollow and its function is to amplify the call of the birds. The structure on top of the bill is called a casque. The Hornbill uses this lightweight beak to gather its food, build its nests, seal the nest, and feed the chicks. In fact, that orange and red bill is what gave the bird its name. The Hornbill is most notable for its colourful bill which is huge. The birds are covered with black feathers except for the white tail that has a single black band. The Rhinoceros Hornbill is a large bird, 80 to 90 cm (31–35 in) long. Head hunting ended in the 20th century and most of the carvings are considered cultural icons. The carvings are still made today and they are still important for the various tribal communities. It called upon the spirit world to give courage to the warriors who went out headhunting. For the Iban, the figure is an essential part of a celebration called the Gawai Kenyalang. Historically, these carvings were associated with many of the tribes in Sarawak, Sabah, and Borneo. ![]() The Rhinoceros Hornbill is depicted in numerous designs in wood carving. The pattern in the textile below is called the ‘Feather of the Hornbill’. The threads are resist dyed before they are woven. The weavers of the area specialize in ikat. “Iban? Long House near Kuching” by rosskevin756 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 There the hornbill was also used as a design for the totems on the poles supporting their roof as well as on many of the art of tattoos. To actually see these highly endangered birds you needed a guide to take you to the jungle areas where local tribes still live in their long houses. You could not move through the area around the harbour of Kuching without seeing ‘something’ decorated with the motif of a hornbill – from table cloths, batik wall hangings, phone cases, and old and not-so-old wood carvings. The Rhinoceros Hornbill is present also in Sabah as well as Borneo, in yellow. I became acquainted with these amazing birds during a trip to the Sarawak in East Malaysia many years ago. The one that I want to focus on today is the Rhinoceros Hornbill. There are over 50 different varieties of Hornbill.
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