A video of a Great Hornbill couple has the Internet talking. In the clip, a Great Hornbill male is feeding his partner, who has sealed herself inside a nest. The clip, shared on the occasion of Father's Day by IFS officer Praveen Kaswan, opens with the Great Hornbill sitting next to the nest, which has a small opening. He is passing the food to the female with the help of his beak.
Along with the clip, Mr Kaswan wrote, “On Father's Day, let me share a story of this father from the forest. The Great Hornbill male is feeding the female who has locked her inside the nest. This he will do for months.”
On FathersDay let me share story of this father from #forest. Great #Hornbill male is feeding the female who has locked her inside nest. This he will do for months !! pic.twitter.com/2BohxfYcAN
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) June 19, 2022
In a follow-up, Mr Kaswan has given some details about the hornbills, who are also known as the “perfect couple”. Calling them the “Gardner of the forest”, he wrote, “This is a story about hornbills which are a perfect couple and which are also called as Gardner of the forest. How ?”
Mr Kaswan added that there are in total nine species of hornbills found in India, ranging from Great to Grey. He said, “Hornbills are generally monogamous. The pair lasts long. Here a Wreathed Hornbill couple.”
They move together and live very long.
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) June 19, 2022
When the couple is expecting they go shopping for a house. A nest.
It can be a natural cavity in a tree or nest of some other bird or their old nest. pic.twitter.com/bfJ1OLBLko
Mr Kaswan added that the hornbill couple, who travels together, goes house-hunting after they are expecting. Explaining the type of nest they prefer, he added, “It can be a natural cavity in a tree or nest of some other bird or their old nest.”
And, once the couple finds a suitable house, the female seals herself inside it and stays there for a period of three to four months, depending on the species, the IFS officer added.
Now time will test them. The lady will stay inside for next 3-4 months (depending upon the species) with just small opening in nest. Looking outside & waiting for husband who will bring the food. Soon she will be with kids. pic.twitter.com/Pqb4GxSpPn
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) June 19, 2022
Mr Kaswan, who has clicked all the pictures and video by himself, added that the Great Hornbill male then looks for food and passes it through the small opening.
“So now the male will roam around the forest. Collect the food, store in their pouch and bring it to the family. As the kids grow, he has to increase the frequency of the trips. This is his daily job, many times a day,” he added.
In this process the father or male tries to stay close to the family. For protection. Also during this time he has to feed himself and stay alive. pic.twitter.com/jFnnxmY0KK
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) June 19, 2022
During the entire process, the Great Hornbill male “tries to stay close to the family. For protection. Also during this time, he has to feed himself and stay alive.”
On what happens during the exchanging the food, Mr Kaswan said, “Not all fruits are delivered, some simply get dropped on the floor while the exchange takes place. They swallow the fruits as a whole and in this process, the seeds are taken to long distances. If the male doesn't come or gets poached the family dies waiting inside the nest.”
Not all fruits are delivered, some simply get dropped on the floor while the exchange takes place. They swallow the fruits as whole and in this process the seeds are taken to long distances. If male doesn't come or gets poached the family dies waiting inside the nest. pic.twitter.com/Qgq8yIjpyM
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) June 19, 2022
The video has clocked more than 10k views within an hour of being posted. The clip was first shared by Praveen Kaswan in May.
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