In the forest of Yingjiang, Yunnan, the valley is deep and densely wooded, and the sound of the wind blowing through the treetops can be heard, and different kinds of birds can be heard from time to time. Bird watchers know that in this area of the mountains, there is a chance to meet hornbills.
Recently, 3 brown-necked hornbills were found in Yingjiang, Yunnan Province – 1 female and 2 males, including a pair of adult birds and a juvenile bird. This is really exciting news! You know, it's been 30 years since the last time we photographed a brown-necked hornbill in Yunnan.
According to birdwatchers, brown-necked hornbills sometimes stand on branches and sometimes fly in the air with their wings outstretched, making a unique sound. In the deep mountains and dense forests, they are like beautiful elves, living freely. Do you want to know how brown-necked hornbills court and reproduce?
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >01 courtship: the male sends fruit to the female every day, and the female helps it comb its feathers</h1>
The brown-necked hornbills are large birds with a body length of about 122 cm; the yellow beak is huge, about 24 cm, slightly curved downwards, and has no helmet protrusions.
Male hornbills have brown feathers on their heads that extend to their necks, hence the name Brown-necked Hornbills. However, the female has different plumage, and the head, neck, and body are all black.
For brown-necked hornbills, spring is a romantic season, and adult birds that have not yet been paired will look for their other half. When the male bird looks at a female bird, he will try his best to get its "heart".
The male bird circles around the female all day, chasing in the air, and does not forget to leave a copy for the female when he goes out to forage. It found a large banyan tree with fruit hanging from its branches, ate a few of its own, and then picked out the largest fruit and took it in its mouth to bring to the female.
In front of the female, it throws the fruit into the air like acrobatics, catches it with its mouth, and then gives it to the female. The female did not accept it immediately, but after the male repeatedly insisted and showed sincerity, she took the fruit with her mouth and ate it. However, the female is more reserved and does not immediately agree to the "pursuit" of the male.
The male will send full fruit to the female every day, and after chasing for several days, the female is willing to be a mate with him. In the world of the brown-necked hornbill, the mate is to be together for a lifetime, and there is no replacement of the mate for life.
After the pairing is successful, they share food together and love each other. The female will stand on the branches and use her long, large beak to gently comb the feathers of the male, which is very loving.
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >02 reproduction: incubating eggs in a tree hole and not going out for dozens of days</h1>
Brown-necked hornbills that enter the breeding season, both male and female, will be very busy and hard. Like other hornbills, female brown-necked hornbills confine themselves to laying and incubating in tree holes.
After finding a suitable tree hole, the female bird enters the hole and does not leave the tree hole one step at a time, and the food is delivered by the male bird. The female bird is in the tree hole, sticking out her long mouth to take the food, and then mixing her own feces with wood chips and piling them up at the mouth of the hole.
In addition to going out to feed and feed the female, the male will also seal the tree hole with mud outside, leaving only a small hole to pass food to the female.
The male keeps feeding every day, so the female can lay eggs in the tree hole, lay one or two eggs, and then begin to incubate. For dozens of days, the female completed the work of laying, incubating and moulting in the tree hole.
It is not until the chicks are born, when the female is the mother of the bird, that she will peck open the hole with her big mouth and fly out of the tree hole.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >03 brooding: the male goes out to feed, and the female takes care of the chicks at home</h1>
Laying and hatching eggs in tree holes is to allow baby birds to be born safely without being harmed by predators. It's time for the newborn chicks to see the world, and the females flap their wings and fly out, circling not far from the tree hole.
However, the female bird does not leave the tree hole too far, she just moves outside, and then returns to the tree hole to take care of the chicks. During the time of brooding, the male bird still bears the main foraging work, tirelessly retrieving fruits and other foods to feed the "wife and children".
As the chicks grow up, the brown-necked hornbills and couples will take the chicks out, fly over the valley, stand on the tall branches, and peck at the fruit. The family would snuggle intimately together and peck each other's mouths to show their love.
Brown-necked hornbills are loyal to their partners and loving to their offspring, and when the chicks grow up to live independently, they will continue to live together. Until it begins to look for a mate and reproduce its own offspring.
Xuelinggu Nature Lab/Production
References: CCTV News, Man and Nature, Nature Exploration, Wildscreen