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Posted: 3rd October 2013

Black hornbills produce healthy chick
Chick is only the second to have been born in Europe this year

Birdworld has this week announced the birth of a healthy black hornbill chick, which has become one of only two black hornbills to have been bred in Europe this year.

Black hornbills, which originate from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, are classified as "near threatened" on the IUCN status list.

The large, black-and-white birds have a long, heavy bill, strong wings and short legs. Largely tree-dwellers, they have unusual nesting habits, making their nests in the sides of trees.

When the female is ready to nest, she will seal herself into the hole using mud, a process known as "muddying in", leaving a narrow slit to poke her bill through. The male will then deliver the food, which may consist of fruit, grasshoppers or small reptiles.

After three months, the female will emerge, re-sealing the entrance for the chick, which is fed for a further month inside the nest.

This nesting behaviour was observed in the black Hornbill female at Birdworld, who "muddied in" in during the early summer, and disappeared from sight on June 30.

The keepers at Birdworld were delighted when she emerged this week, accompanied by a healthy chick.
 
Image courtesy of Birdworld
 



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