Oriental Pied Hornbills along Sian Tuan Avenue, Singapore

For sometime now a pair of Oriental Pied Hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris), sometimes accompanied by a juvenile, regularly visit Sian Tuan Avenue (above: male, below: female). Their cries can be heard during the mornings and evenings as they move from tree to tree. Sometimes they even land on the top of houses.

On the evening of 30th September 2015, I was fortunate to be around to document their antics. It was around 1800 hours on a slightly hazy day. I was out trying to video the Asian Glossy Starlings (Aplonis panayensis) as a small flock flew around my pair of Ceram Palms (Rhopaloblaste ceramica). Sometimes the flock of starlings flew past the palms, other times some may land on the palms. And their dispersal from the palms can be just as spectacular.

The cries of the hornbills alerted me of the presence of a pair (above). They were perching on a lamppost for some time before flying to one of the many Golden Penda (Xanthostemon chrysanthus) trees that line the road. Their black and white plumage provided excellent camouflage against the background of leafy branches in the evening light.

The pair then moved to a nearby Noni (Morinda citrifolia) tree. They next flew down to land on the ground of my garden before moving to the iron railings of the balcony of my neighbour’s house.

There they indulged in courtship feeding. The male regurgitated some fruits stored in his crop and fed the female twice. The courtship feeding completed, the female flew off, soon followed by the male, to explore the areas further down the road.

YC Wee
Singapore
November 2015