Bird boxes for hornbills

Dizzying heights: Saifuladha and Ahmad Sapie using harnesses to scale about 20m up a durian tree to instal a hornbill nesting box in Batu Rakit, Terengganu. — Photo courtesy of Sanjitpaal Singh/jitspics.com

WHEN two pairs of great hornbills in Batu Rakit, Terengganu lost their vital nesting trees, a team of intrepid conservationists built artificial nests in the shape of boxes for them to continue breeding.

Led by Dr Ravinder Kaur, a conservationist specialising in hornbills, the team completed its mission to instal two nest boxes on durian trees – the first such effort in Peninsular Malaysia.

“The birds were nesting in old durian trees within an orchard.

“Unfortunately, these trees had fallen due to old age and decay.

“Despite the loss of nest trees, these birds persist in the area.

“Historically, great hornbills have accepted and nested in artificial nest boxes in other regions such as Thailand.

“It made sense to experiment artificial nest boxes in this farmland as a pilot study for Peninsular Malaysia,” she said.

Ravinder, who is a lecturer with Sunway University’s Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, said the nesting boxes were not simple wooden boxes.

The boxes, she said, were built based on findings from research on temperature and humidity conditions inside a hornbill’s nest cavities.

Being secondary hole-nesters, hornbills do not create tree cavities.

They are dependent on primary cavity-nesting birds such as woodpeckers or naturally occurring cavities for their breeding needs.

“Even the entrances need to be the right size; for example rhinoceros hornbills prefer narrow, elongated entrances, while the helmeted hornbill needs a specific, knob-shaped nest hole.

“These birds also have high nest-site fidelity, returning to the same tree year after year.

“We figured out that boxes with low temperatures and high humidity were ideal for large-bodied hornbills,” she explained.

As scientific director of Xploregaia (Gaia), a social enterprise based in Kuala Lumpur, Ravinder said while this might be a pilot project in this part of the country, the project had proved successful in Sabah.

For over six years, Gaia has been working with the Sabah Wildlife Department and Hutan - Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Programme (Hutan-KOCP), a French non-governmental organisation, which are pioneers of the hornbill artificial nest box project in Malaysia.They have built and installed over 30 nest boxes for the Kinabatangan hornbills in Sabah.

Based on experience gleaned over the years, Gaia proposed to host the Hutan-KOCP team in Terengganu to build and set up the artificial nest boxes.

The team also sought approval from Perhilitan and kept the Kuala Nerus Community Development district office apprised of the plans.

Funds for the project were provided by Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD), San Diego Zoo and Nature Based Solutions Sdn Bhd.

The exercise was carried out successfully in mid-May, with two boxes installed on 30m tall durian trees.

It was no easy feat either as it required scaling the tall trees and safely securing the boxes.

Ravinder said this would not have been possible without assistance from the team of experienced climbers from Hutan-KOCP.

Joining the team from Hutan-KOCP were Wildlife Survey & Patrol unit head Eddie Ahmad, Head of Pangi sub-camp Saifuladha Pastor as well as Ahmad Sapie Kapar and Mahatir Ratag from the Wildlife and Survey Protection Unit.

Also part of the team was avid birder Anuar McAfee, who was the first to spot the nesting pairs of great hornbills in the Batu Rakit area, way back in 2005.

“I spotted the second pair the following year but noticed that the trees they chose had collapsed sometime in 2010,” he said.

Following that incident, a chance conversation between McAfee and Ravinder several years ago eventually led to the decision to test the artificial nest boxes here.

“She thought this area would be a good place to instal the nest boxes as there were not many of the natural-forming cavity trees left, but there were still groups of hornbills spotted in the area,” he said.

A large group of great hornbills, about 15 of them, were seen flying overhead as the team was installing the boxes.

McAfee, who is director of the International Centre at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) as well as a member of Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) Terengganu, said he spotted rhinoceros hornbills and oriental pied hornbills in the Batu Rakit area.

“Although we spotted the birds at durian orchards, the place has a natural feeling of forested land.

“Importantly, the villagers and local communities are great protectors of this area.

“There have also been no cases of poaching or trapping of these birds here, which means they will be protected,” he said.

After several decades of birding in Terengganu, he has spotted at least nine species of hornbills in the state.

In March this year, McAfee and the Gaia team met up with Kampung Darat Batu Rakit Hulu Village Development and Security Committee chairman Mohd Azame Abu Bakar with plans to instal the nest boxes.

“They told us that the farms were very old and the durian trees within the area have been around for several generations.

“They helped us to approach the orchard operators for us to get their permission to instal the boxes,” he elaborated.

Now that the boxes have been safely installed, the team will monitor any hornbill activities with cameras placed near the sites.

“It could take several years before a nesting pair decides to use the boxes to breed, but we have high hopes.

“We will make visits to maintain the boxes in case there are any signs of wear and tear,” Ravinder said.