By Devabala Smitha
The season of love is here. Cupid’s bows plunge through the air, right into lovers’ hearts. Well, love should not and is not restricted to us humans alone, right? So we bring you the tale of two hornbills– of love, passion and devotion…
In the dense forests of the Western Ghats, there lives the Great Indian Hornbill or the Great Pied Hornbill (Buceros bicornis). While we, humans, celebrate only a brief week (of official) Valentine’s period, the serenading season of Hornbills extends from the month of January to April, and the courtship ritual is initiated by the male Hornbills. Charming his partner is no easy task. It takes a long time for him to get his potential partner's attention, let alone woo her. The time for reciprocation could be extended to well over a couple of weeks.
During this period, the male birds would actively pursue the female. Now, they may not have roses of all colours and shapes, but they do exhibit a behaviour which is similar to that of us humans. Photographers have often clicked pictures of the males ‘gifting [his lady] bark of a tree, petals of flowers or fruits of banyan, peepal or mulberry to please her’. While flying underneath the canopy of their forest homes, they also engage in duets by alternating their calls to each other. Reminds me of the operas where the lovers continue to serenade through the nights.
Like several other species of the animal kingdom, males compete for their mates. Hornbills too, fight with each other, often by clashing their majestic casques during flight. The flashy casques and this fight exist to impress the female, and it seems as if he has impressed one. This choice of a companion is extremely important for the Hornbills because once they unite, they have mated for life. That’s right, folks– there’s no divorce or polygamous relationships in the Hornbill community. The option of choosing and living with another partner is really not what the members of this species like to do. It just so happens that the whole family perishes if the male dies while the female is sealed inside the tree hollow with her hatchlings. So, the whole courtship ritual is a mock drill for the male partner to declare how he will be looking after the female and the chicks. It is to test his mettle for patience and dedication to go through the intensive three-month nesting period.
Once the Hornbills have been paired, they have to become comfortable with each other. After a period of mutual preening and exchanging food, they have become ready to move on to the next big step – the nesting ritual. After the courtship and mating phases, the female locates a tree hollow and seals herself inside using a mixture of dung and mud pellets. The male also helps in collecting the pellets. He can be seen pecking the ground and swallowing mud pellets. He then brings it back to the tree hollow and regurgitates it near the hollow.
These pellets are given to the female, who starts sealing herself in for the rest of the nesting period. She leaves a tiny opening, just wide enough for her partner to feed her. This continues for the next six to eight weeks. Finally, her eggs hatch and the male has to feed all of them till the female has undergone moulting, grown new feathers, and the young ones developed feathered. Only then does the female emerge out of the tree hollow to rejoin her partner. And that’s a tale to remember – one of persistence. May we all find such a lasting kind of love… Happy Valentine’s Day to all!
Further Reading:
Buceros bicornis (great hornbill). (n.d.). Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Buceros_bicornis/#:~:text=Pairs%20of%20great%20hornbills%20use,sound%20produced%20by%20their%20flight
Great Hornbill facts and Information | SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. (n.d.). https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/birds/great-hornbill/
RoundGlass Sustain. (n.d.). A Lesson in Love: The Great Hornbill Charms a Mate [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehqBN8nisLI
Santhosh. (2018, June 3). Great Hornbills – Courtship – FramesOfNature. https://framesofnature.com/2018/06/great-hornbills-courtship/
Sustain Team. (2023, September). A Lesson in Love: The Great Hornbill Charms a Mate. Roundglass Sustain. Retrieved January 29, 2024, from https://roundglasssustain.com/videos/great-hornbill-mating
Wildnest | Page not found! (n.d.). https://wildnest.in/photographic-journey-indian-grey-hornbills-courtship-mating-nesting-unusual-mating-behaviour-cradle-grave#:~:text=During%20courtship%20a%20male%20is,least%20bothered%20about%20anything%20else
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