![]() However, forest loss, logging and hunting pose severe challenges to the survival of extant hornbill species. For the survival of our remaining rainforests, it is critical that these offspring grow into maturity and fulfil their ecological role. The estimated offspring production rate of Rhinoceros Hornbills breeding once in 1.5 years is 2.0625 per 10 birds in the population. Hornbills are slow-breeding species requiring large tracts of forests to survive. However, logged forests could also serve as refuges to hornbills, making them habitats worth conserving in contemporary times. Naturally, primary lowland rainforests that are rich in tall growing and fruit-bearing trees form the principal habitats of hornbills. For the farmers of the forest too, availability of fruits is one of the two crucial factors for breeding, the other factor being availability of tall trees with cavities for nesting. ![]() In human farming communities, the favourable season of marriages generally follow the harvest when there is plenty of food available. Thus, they are fondly referred to as ‘farmers of the forest’. Largely frugivores by diet, hornbills play an important role in dispersing seeds of fruits above 2 cm in diameter in the tropical forests of Africa and Asia, ensuring the survival and regeneration of forest ecosystems. Of the 59 extant species of hornbills, 31 are found in Asia. ![]() Hornbills are large birds belonging to the Bucerotidae family and are known to possess several unique traits in the avian world such as cooperative breeding, female self-incarceration during nesting and mostly monogamous pairing. ![]()
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