Oriental Pied Hornbill Breeding in the Wild Takes Flight

Bukit Timah is currently home to a family of five oriental pied hornbills as Jurong Bird Park

, National Parks Board (NParks) and the Singapore Avian Conservation Project (SACP) successfully introduced a pair, Sada and Lily, into the wild in December 2008. For the first recorded observation in Singapore, three chicks were hatched with two clutches in a single breeding season, and the family now roams free in Bukit Timah. Sada and Lily were initially housed in a large introductory aviary within Bukit Timah. After they had bred and two chicks hatched, a portion of the aviary was opened for Sada to fly out to look for food to feed Lily and the chicks, which were still sealed in their nest. As the male hornbill forages for food for the female and the chicks when they are sealed in, Sada was true to this fathering trait. Although he roamed freely, he still returned to feed Lily and the chicks, eventually breeding two chicks to freedom in the wild for the first clutch. Subsequently, Sada and Lily were released into the wild. A third chick was also successfully fledged in this area for their second clutch. Oriental pied hornbills are native to Singapore, and we are ecstatic that our oriental pied hornbills have bred and are thriving in the wild. Our avian team and our partners have worked hard to make this breeding programme a success, and we will continue to provide suitable living and nesting habitats for these birds, said Mr Raja Segran, General Curator, Jurong Bird Park. Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), NParks and Singapore Avian Conservation Project (SACP) are jointly committed to increasing the in-situ population of the hornbills in the wild. The population of the oriental pied hornbills in Singapore has now increased to more than 50. NParks is committed to the conservation of wildlife in our urban setting, and is excited about this early success in what is likely to be a long-term recovery of the hornbill population, said Mr Wong Tuan Wah, Director (Conservation), National Parks Board. With the ongoing field research conducted by SACP for more than 5 years, it is evident that the birds will give us the key to their conservation programme, with a lot of promise for hornbill conservation in Singapore, said Marc Cremades, consultant researcher, Singapore Avian Conservation Projects. Thought to be extinct in Singapore as it had not been sighted for more than 150 years, the oriental pied hornbill was re-discovered in 1994. A documentary titled Singapore Hornbill Project Return of the King featuring the journey of bringing hornbills back to Singapore will be screened to the public on 16 and 17 January 2010, from 10am 12pm at Function Hall, Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens. Please visit www.nparks.gov.sg for more information. About Jurong Bird Park Opened in 1971, Jurong Bird Park is the largest bird park in the world, offering a 20.2-hectare hillside haven for 8,000 birds representing 600 species. Its Heliconia Repository, with 108 heliconia species and cultivars in its collection, is one of the largest in the region. With key attractions such as the Bird Discovery Centre, African Waterfall Aviary, Lory Loft Aviary, Southeast Asian Birds Aviary and the award-winning African Wetlands, the Bird Park attracted close to 900,000 visitors in 2008. Committed towards conservation, the Bird Park is the first in the world to breed the Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise in captivity and received the Breeders Award from the American Pheasant and Waterfowl Society in 2001. In 2006, the Bird Park became the recipient of the Conservation & Research Award for the Oriental Pied Hornbill Conservation Project by IV International Symposium on Breeding Birds in Captivity (ISBBC). In Asia, Jurong Bird Park is the only park in the Asia Pacific to have an Avian Hospital. It has a Breeding and Research Centre tasked to ensure the welfare, breeding and promulgation of birdlife and is also an Official Rescue Avian Centre. Jurong Bird Park is located at 2 Jurong Hill Singapore 628925.

Oriental Pied Hornbill Breeding in the Wild Takes Flight

By: Joel Li Yang

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