Locked in a tree for months: The extraordinary sacrifice of the female hornbill

Thekabarnews.com—The hornbill is a unique bird that lives in Southeast Asia’s tropical jungles, such as Indonesia. The woods are lovely, but the hornbill is much more than that. You can easily see it because its beak is big and curved and its wings flap loudly. When its wings touch trees, it looks like a small plane. It looks good and breeds in a way that no other bird does.

When courting, a female hornbill would choose a big, hollowed-out tree trunk to build her nest in. A strange ritual will begin as soon as you enter. They mix dirt, muck, and pulp from old food to seal the door. They leave a small opening so the male can still fit his beak through it. It is just big enough for him to feed his young.

The female can stay in the tree hole for weeks, if not months. She lays her eggs in this secret place and waits for them to hatch. She then takes off her feathers to keep her young warm. At the moment, the only thing she can eat is the male hornbill. He constantly seeks food to feed his family, which includes his partner and kids. He eats bugs, fruits, and other pests to stay alive.

This strategy shows that you want to work with others instead of trying to control them. They cover the nest to keep monkeys, monitor lizards, and snakes from eating their eggs and young. But the system is very risky. If hunters kill the father or destroy his habitat and he fails to return, the mother and her chicks will likely die.

The Helmeted Hornbill (Rangkong Gading) is one of the most famous birds in Indonesia. It is a beautiful bird and an important cultural symbol in Kalimantan. Illegal hunting and deforestation have drastically reduced its population, and conservationists are deeply concerned about this decline.

Many people do not know how hornbills build their nests. A complicated web of connections keeps it going. In marriage, the woman gives her life to the man and promises to take care of and protect his family.

Being together is not enough for a wild love; you have to learn how to live with each other. Inside a locked tree trunk lies a story of bravery, loyalty, and selflessness.