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1994 sighting of the Great Hornbill remembered

on 1st May 2008

Ben drew my attention to the 2004 special issue of the journal, Bird Conservation International. This special issue, dedicated to the conservation of hornbills, carries some of the many papers read at the Third International Hornbill Workshop held in Phuket, Thailand in 2001.

Ben e-mailed me, “I just came across a bit of interesting trivia from an introduction page of a special supplement of Bird Conservation International dedicated to the conservation of hornbills… Dec 2004. Vol 14 Supplement S1:S3. The excerpt that caught my attention was this:

“’This volume is dedicated to the memory of Elizabeth Glassco Hudson (1956– 2002). One of Lis’ most powerful and exhilarating experiences was in Singapore, in 1994, when a Great Indian Hornbill (Buceros bicornis) flew just over her head, making that sound that only hornbill wings can make. She stood in that bird’s wake, mesmerized.’

“Interesting, isn’t it? Considering that it is one of our non-native birds that had a mesmerizing effect on a visitor. The Great Indian Hornbill is a synonym for the Great Hornbill.”

The Great Hornbill, also known as the Great Indian Hornbill, is native to Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and northwards to the southern Himalayas.

Great Hornbills are escapees in Singapore. It was the fashion to keep such birds once and there were probably a number of smuggled birds in Singapore then. A few escaped, or were they released, for one reason or another? Anyway, from the above account, at least one bird was around as far back as 1994.

A pair of Great died in the island of Sentosa many years ago, when poison was commonly used to control the rat population there. A bird was also sighted in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, checking out a nesting hole

Currently, only a single Great Hornbill remains, causing much excitement among the urban population when it visits their homes – see here: 1, 2 and 3.

In 2006 a Great and a Rhinoceros (B. rhinoceros), both female, were seen in Eng Neo prospecting a nesting hole in an old tree – see here: 1, 2, 3 and 4.

YC Wee
Singapore
May 2008

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.

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