FotosForACause: Protect The Hornbill, Adopt a Nest
FotosForACause is back with a print-sale to raise funds for Nature Conservation Foundation’s (NCF) Hornbill Nest Adoption Program (HNAP) that protects hornbills in the forests outside Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh. By buying a print, you adopt a nest, become a Hornbill Parent, & enable the protection of these endangered wondrous birds. 100% of the profits of each sale goes to HNAP.
This fundraiser is open to Indians only.
THE AMAZING HORNBILL
Hornbills — large, colourful birds with massive casques on their bills — are wondrous birds with a strange nesting behaviour. These birds mate for life. After an elaborate courtship that includes feeding fruit to each other, the male hornbill sets about finding a nest. They choose holes high up in large trees, in thick forest.
What happens next is simply amazing. The female inspects and, if she approves the cavity the male has scoped for her, she imprisons herself in the cavity, sealing it with only a tiny slit left open! She lays one or maybe two eggs inside. The male, meanwhile, flies far and wide in search for the best food for her and diligently brings it back multiple times a day, feeding her through the slit.
She does not come out and he does not go in for almost 2 months. All this while the chick is growing. Eventually, the female and the chick (in some species the chick stays in a while longer) emerge by cracking open the cavity seal, and fly!
This strange nesting behaviour sure makes for a fascinating story, but the long sequestration also puts hornbills in danger of hunters and loggers.
HORNBILL HAVEN
Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh is a haven for hornbills in North-east India, hosting four of nine hornbill species: the Great Hornbill, the Wreathed Hornbill, the Oriental Pied Hornbill and the Rufous-necked Hornbill. This makes the area extremely important for hornbills, especially considering that hunting and deforestation threatens hornbill species in the rest of Northeast India.
Men of the Nyishi community — the dominant tribe in the area — use the upper beak/casque of the Great and Rufous-necked hornbills in their traditional headgear. While hunting has declined considerably in the area, in several other parts of Arunachal, hornbills are still hunted. Moreover, when thick forests are logged, a direct competition for nests between hornbill species increases.
ADOPT A NEST, PROTECT HORNBILLS
The Hornbill Nest Adoption Program is a partnership with the Nyishi community to protect hornbills. Through this program, Nyishi nest protectors are recruited and trained to watch potential nesting sites and monitor chosen nest-trees through the year. These nest-protectors help protect both the hornbills and these rich forests.
But this important effort needs your participation.
During this fundraiser, you can buy a print and “adopt” a nest to become a Hornbill Parent. As a Hornbill Parent, you will help protect several species of these endangered birds.
Are you ready to adopt a nest? Choose a print!
If you would rather donate to the HNAP without buying a print, you can donate here.