Rufous Necked Hornbill ( Male )

Sweet in flight pose with the wings arched forward, and nice exposure. With the Hornbill this close to the tree, I get the feeling he just exited what appears to be a nesting cavity? Interesting you can tell its age by the number of scars on its beak. Well done!

Fantastic timing. Love everything about this one.

Ron Day wrote:Sweet in flight pose with the wings arched forward, and nice exposure. With the Hornbill this close to the tree, I get the feeling he just exited what appears to be a nesting cavity? Interesting you can tell its age by the number of scars on its beak. Well done!

I will have to adds: Wow, wow , super nice experience to see and photograph this bird.

Peter Tamas (sirianul)

Congrats on getting this bird and thanks for sharing this beautiful shot.

Lovely in flight capture and interesting information, Biru. Well done.

Carol.

Great species , superb BIF shot Birupakshya.

Ron Day wrote:Sweet in flight pose with the wings arched forward, and nice exposure. With the Hornbill this close to the tree, I get the feeling he just exited what appears to be a nesting cavity? Interesting you can tell its age by the number of scars on its beak. Well done!

plus one.  well done

Ron Day wrote:Sweet in flight pose with the wings arched forward, and nice exposure. With the Hornbill this close to the tree, I get the feeling he just exited what appears to be a nesting cavity? Interesting you can tell its age by the number of scars on its beak. Well done!

Yes. The cavity was his nest. It was during that period when both the male and the female were busy cleaning this cavity. After its been done the female goes into the cavity and the male would gradually close the opening of the cavity with mud and twigs in such a manner that the female can only bring out its beak. The female would then lay eggs inside the hole and the male would keep feeding his family for the entire incubation period. Besides each year they develop a scar on their beak from which one can also calculate the age of the bird. Pretty interesting, isn't it ? 

Regards.

Biru.

Very nice flight shot. Thanks for sharing this beautiful bird.

Ludo

Very nice capture. It must have been a thrill to get it.

Very nice capture. It must have been a thrill to get it.

Awesome capture. Glad you had the opportunity. Do you mind sharing the location!

NatureFan RK wrote:Awesome capture. Glad you had the opportunity. Do you mind sharing the location!

Absolutely not. This has been shot at Mahananda Wild Life Sanctuary, West Bengal, India. There is a small village called Latpanchor at the lap of the Himalayas. You can always search in the internet. For any birding trip there you can contact Debapratim Saha, who is also an esteemed member of nsn. 

Regards.

Biru.