The China-Myanmar border is bordered by a rain forest adjacent to Myanmar, mainly located between the Daying River, the Karma Yang River and the Lamphun River, which belongs to the Irrawaddy River Basin. At an altitude of 210 meters above sea level, there are many large trees such as assamese double and four trees. Due to the warm climate and dense forests, there are many kinds of animals. More than 550 species of birds have been found here, accounting for more than a third of China's total.
In this tropical jungle, there is a strange and large bird that is known for its gorgeous feathers and noble posture. This type of bird does not change mates for life, and raises offspring together in a unique way, it is a two-horned hornbill, commonly known as a "ghost bird". When the male meets the female, he will bring a gift.
As a rare bird in the tropics, the two-horned hornbill is large in size and can weigh up to three or four kilograms. Their necks are slender, covered with soft, rich yellow-white neck feathers; the back, abdomen, and wings are covered by long black feathers; the tail feathers are bright white, and the near tail tip is cross-cut by a black ring feather, divided into two parts, which are usually wrapped behind them, just like a white waterfall suspended in mid-air.
The face of the two-hornbill is covered with black feathers, and the sexual heteromorphism is reflected in the size of the helmet and the iris of the pupil, the male helmet is large and the iris is dark red; the female helmet is small, and the iris is bright white. It is worth mentioning that the two-horned hornbill, both male and female, have thick eyelashes, which is rare among birds.
The hornbill has a large beak, the two-horned hornbill has a larger beak, its huge beak is curved into a sickle shape, and the entire beak is like two large bananas bent downwards, glued together. Adult hornbills are generally 119-128 cm long, while the length of their mouths can reach 30 cm, accounting for more than 1/4 of their body length.
The long beak of the two-horned hornbill is a powerful tool for its predation, and it is rare for a bird to have such a large beak. But in fact, due to the special structure, the long beak of the hornbill is hollow and very flexible to use.
Not only that, but at the forehead at the base of the upper mouth, there is also a large and wide helmet process, the front edge of the helmet is concave downwards, and the left and right tops are double-horned protrusions, forming a double horn, such as a steel helmet on the beak, which resembles both rhino horns and the helmets of ancient warriors.
Don't look at the big beak of the two-horned hornbill that looks bulky, in fact, it is both a tool and a weapon, and it is very handy and dexterous to use, it is really easy to pick berries, peel nuts and pick them, and catch the mouth of a living creature.
The most interesting thing is that when the female and chick defecate, they will aim their anus at the opening of the hole and squirt it out. The female also uses her mouth to remove dirt from the hole to keep it clean.
When they chirp, their posture is also distinctive – they look up, their beaks and helmets pointing straight up to the sky, their necks straight, and they make a rough and loud call.
Hornbills, one of the faithful among birds, are paired as monogamous. When they find a compatible spouse, they will snuggle up to each other, inseparable, standing between the branches, and grooming each other's feathers from time to time. When there is no one, they cherish every second and kiss deeply; as soon as they see someone, the two birds immediately separate, as if shy.
During the breeding period, they adopt a peculiar tree hole closed breeding, if one male hornbill dies, the other hornbill will not break out of the hole to feed, will stay in the hole without eating or drinking, and finally die of grief, and the chicks will starve to death in the hole because they cannot get food supplies, resulting in the destruction of the whole family.
Usually, after either of the hornbill couple dies, the other will not "remarry", will go on a hunger strike and fly in a circle, and then die of martyrdom. Therefore, Yunnan people have loved hornbills for generations and never hit hornbills.
This peculiar breeding habit of the hornbill has become the "amorous bird" worshipped by the people and has become a symbol of loyal love. According to locals, males bring a gift with them when they date a female.
The study also found that hornbills are high-IQ "builders." The hornbills' nests were borrowed and were originally tree holes eroded by woodpeckers or termites. In order to reproduce, the hornbills began to get busy, trying to find ways to expand the burrows and create a more relaxed living environment for the young birds.
First of all, the male hornbill takes back a lot of weed leaves and other people's feathers from the outside, and puts them in the hole, and the female hornbills lay these things one by one, first putting the dead grass at the bottom, then laying a layer of leaves, and then covering a layer of feathers, like a human cushion. Then, then the female begins to lay eggs and enters the nest hole to begin for up to two or three months and some species even longer confinement time.
The male birds go outside to look for dirt, small branches and grass leaves, then mash the fruits, seeds, etc., use their slurry to make a simple adhesive, and seal the sediment and wood branches, wood chips and other shelters on the outside of the cave entrance.
The female bird, on the other hand, will use the food residue and saliva secreted by herself to mix into a sticky glue, and apply it to the mouth of the hole little by little, playing the role of secondary bonding of the male bird's shelter.
The finally completed cave leaves only a small exit, just enough for the female to extend the beak of the bird, so that the male bird can feed the female bird and the baby who broke out of the shell, which is quite a bit of "golden house hidden delicacy".
The female sits in a tree hole to incubate the next generation, and a month later the baby breaks out of its shell. In order to ensure that the "wives and children" can get enough food, the male bird performs the duties of a good father and husband outside and flies outside again and again to forage for food and raise a family.
The two-horned hornbill feeds first and stops in a nearby tree to notify the female in the cave with a call. The nest hole is almost completely enclosed, with only a very narrow slit from which the female responds to the male.
The male hears the response and flies down the hole, stores the wild fruits and insects that have been foraging in the throat sac, and then regurgitates them out of the sac and feeds them to the female. At this time, the big tail has become the third support point, and sometimes the food is off the fan-shaped tail can still block it from being wasted.
In China, only five species of hornbills have been recorded, including the double-horned hornbill, the crowned hornbill, the crested helmeted hornbills, the white-throated hornbills, and the brown-necked hornbills, which are only found in southwestern Guangxi, southern and central Yunnan, and metuo County in southeastern Tibet. Once upon a time, hornbills were seen more frequently in some parts of the southern part of the country, but now they are on the verge of extinction in our country.
Xuelinggu Nature Lab/Production
References: CCTV Natural Legends, Global Species List