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Oriental Pied Hornbill in moult

on 1st March 2010

GCSpyder’s study of the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) flying over Singapore’s Changi Village shows the wear and tear of the tail feather as well as the moulting of the flight feathers.

An undamaged feather has the barbs firmly attached one to another, resulting in a smooth, continuous surface of the vanes. Many of the tail feathers in the image show damage through wear and tear, resulting in gaps in the vanes.

Worn out feathers are replaced continuously, as seen in the flight feathers. The gaps around where the primary flight feathers meet with the secondary flight feathers in both wings are points of moulting. Here, the old feathers have been discarded and new ones are actively growing. This is symmetrical moulting, to provide balance while in flight. Asymmetrical moulting, where moulting occurs in one wing only, seen in the Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus intermedius) that earlier had a fight and probably lost its feathers through fright moult, is unusual.

As flight feathers play important roles in flying, they are usually replaced one or two at a time.

We have an earlier post on moulting in the migrant Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhyncus) and tail moulting in the Jerdon’s Baza (Aviceda jerdoni) that readers may be interested in.

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

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.

Other posts by YC Wee

3 Responses

  1. Hi Mark;
    Fly over to Langkawi. The island contains 3 different species of hornbills and all of them can be seen in one area.

    Sorry to take the limelight off Singapore…hee..hee..

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