Birding in the Wild Malaysia Series 18 - Hornbill in Perak

Sighted this lonely Hornbill perched on a tall tree while driving along the old trunk road nearing Sg Klah Hotspring Sungkai Perak. Quickly back track to snap some photos It was about 100m away. Tried getting near it but spooked it. Heres is a Star article on Hornbill.... Another great place in Perak to see hornbills is Pangkor Island. Species -Oriental Pied

PERAK, not Sarawak, should rightfully claim the title of “Land of Hornbill.” After all, it is the only state where all 10 of Malaysia’s hornbill species are found. Sarawak has only eight. And better still, Perak or to be exact, the Belum-Temenggor forest, is one of only two sites where mass movement of hornbills has been sighted. (The other is Ulu Muda forest reserve in Kedah.) The spectacle of hornbills flying overhead in huge flocks is a visual feast that must rank as one of the natural wonders of the world. First observed in 1992 by bird watchers who counted over 300 hornbills in flight over Temenggor one evening, this phenomenon has not been reported elsewhere in the world.
During the Malaysian Nature Society scientific expedition at Sungai Halong in 1993, the highest count was 2,365 wreathed hornbills. In the 1998 expedition, plain-pouched hornbills were seen in huge numbers. The species was previously thought to occur only in Thailand. In the 2003 expedition, researchers tallied 2,051 plain-pouched hornbills in the span of 90 minutes at the Pos Chiong orang asli settlement. The discovery has nudged Belum-Temenggor into the country’s list of “Important Bird Areas.” Scientists believe this site holds the key to long-term survival of plain-pouched hornbills for it is the largest remaining tract of lowland and hill dipterocarp forest in northern peninsula and it hosts the only viable population of the species, listed by the IUCN-World Conservation Union as “vulnerable” to extinction and deemed the most endangered of Malaysian hornbills. Preserving Belum and Temenggor is vital as the plain-pouched hornbill is dependent on both forest reserves; the birds are believed to feed or nest in Belum but roost in Temenggor.
In a study from February 2004 to January 2005, MNS researchers found that the hornbills start to congregate in May/June and disperse in November, moving in a north-south direction. The survey failed to locate their roosting site but it is believed to be east of Pos Chiong. Breeding was not seen but since this species breeds in the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand, it is possible that they nest in Royal Belum. So far, only two species – the wreathed and plain-pouched hornbills – have been spotted grouped in flight. But the hornbill population appears to have fallen victim to logging. Hornbills nest in holes found in old, large trees – the very trees eyed by loggers. Recent counts are nowhere near those of previous years. The highest tally during the MNS study was 1,072 birds. The study, which also detected large congregations of helmeted and rhinoceros hornbills in Temenggor, found hornbills to be more common in unlogged forest. Hornbills play crucial ecological roles. They disperse seeds of fruit and forest trees.