Oriental Pied Hornbill in courtship feeding?

Prof Cheong Loong Fah photographed a pair of Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) at Tan Teo Seng’s fruit farm in Kota Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia showing a pair, possibly in the act of courtship feeding.

“Based on the plumage and the frayed tail feathers, the bird above appears to be an adult female. The one below (in flight) is an adult male, based on plumage and the larger casque” says R Subaraj, our bird specialist.

It is possible that the birds are indulging in courtship feeding. According to Loong Fah, everything happened so fast that he had no idea what the birds were doing.