Title
Long-term monitoring of nesting behavior and nesting habitat of four sympatric hornbill species in a Sumatran lowland tropical rainforest of Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park
Author(s)
Sibarani, Marsya C.;Utoyo, L.;Danang Pratama, Ricky;Danus, Meidita Aulia;Sudrajat, Rahman;Surahmat, Fahrudin;Marthy, William
Published
2020
Publisher
Hornbill Natural History & Conservation
Abstract
Hornbills are vulnerable to extinction due to their low reproductive output and dependence on large trees as nesting sites. However, little is known about their breeding behavior in Sumatra, which is important to plan effective strategies to save the nine species from extinction. Here we present the nesting season and nest-site characteristics of sympatric hornbills at Way Canguk Research Station, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia. We monitored in total 35 tree cavities in two monitoring periods: 23 tree cavities between 2006 – 2009 and 20 between 2015 – 2018; and recorded the nesting activities of hornbills. We also measured the characteristics of nest trees, nest cavities, and vegetation within 20-m radius of the nest trees. We found that there was a significant decrease of nesting frequency between the two monitoring periods, from a mean of 0.058 records/year in 2006 – 2009 to 0.013 records/year in 2015 – 2018. Of eight hornbill species known to occur in the study area, only four were found nesting during the study periods, i.e. Bushy-crested, Helmeted, Rhinoceros, and Wreathed Hornbills. Among the four species, there were no differences in the height of nest cavities, diameter, and height of nest trees. All species preferred emergent trees and trees with big trunks as nesting sites. Wreathed Hornbill preferred nests with more vertically-elongated nest entrance compared to the other three species which were found nesting in oval cavities. Bushy-crested Hornbill seemed to select nest cavities with entrance facing toward north-east direction, while the other hornbill species did not have preferences. Most tree species that were used by hornbills for nesting also have high timber value, thus are vulnerable to the risk of illegal logging. To ensure the survival of hornbills, sufficient number of tree cavities that are suitable for nesting must be maintained.
Keywords
breeding;bird population;reproductive behaviour;Way Canguk Research Station

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PUB26199