Rhinoceros Hornbill
a Rare Bird That Preserves the Conservation of Ujung Kulon National Park
Ujung Kulon National Park is not only home to the one-horned javan rhino. This world heritage site is also a habitat for 240 species of birds. Some of them are very rare. One of them is the Rhinoceros hornbill.
The Rhinoceros hornbill is a type of hornbill that has a large and beautiful body. The length can reach 90 cm. The fur on its body is mostly black. While the feathers on the tail are partly white. The beak is orange and red. If it flies, its wings sound loud and distinctive.
Hornbills need large trees for nesting and incubating their eggs. The main food of hornbill is fruit. Although he sometimes also eats insects, small birds, small reptiles, or mice.
Hornbill is known as a very effective seed dispersal bird so its existence is very important for forest sustainability. This is because the hornbill’s digestive system does not destroy the seeds of the fruit it eats. The seeds are spread by the hornbill through feces or food scraps that it carries flying for hundreds of kilometers.
The existence of hornbills in Ujung Kulon National Park indicates that this conservation area is still very sustainable. This oldest national park in Indonesia still has a large tree as a nesting place for hornbills. Also, various fruit-producing plants that feed the hornbill.
If you want to see the hornbill behavior firsthand, try visiting Peucang Island, a beautiful island located at the western end of Ujung Kulon National Park. Both in the forest and on the coast of Peucang Island, you can easily see low-flying hornbills. When the hornbill passes, you will hear its strong wing flaps and its very distinctive sound.