
After spending about 5 months in its nest, this young Helmeted Hornbill peers over the rim of the cavity, exploring its surroundings from the safety of its home. It soon makes its first attempt at flight under the watchful eyes of its parents. There have been records of fatalities during a chick’s first flight.
Despite its grandeur, the Helmeted Hornbill is the only hornbill species in Malaysia listed as ‘critically endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to severe habitat loss and hunting pressures. The Punan tribe of Sarawak, an indigenous group, holds a deep reverence for this majestic bird, believing that it guards the river that separates life from death.