For the Hornbills and Hornbill Lovers

Hornbills are not only beautiful and unique birds they are one of the most interesting too. Every time I see them, it's a surreal experience and you can't help but watch them until they're gone. They're not really the kind of bird you walk away from =)

The only (digiscoped) photo I have of a hornbill,
a male Luzon Hornbill or Tarictic Hornbill, who was feeding
on the ripe red berries of a ficus tree somewhere in Mt. Makiling.

I have only technically seen one species of hornbill, the Tarictic Hornbill, although I have seen the panini race in Negros (Visayan Tarictic Hornbill) and the samarensis race in Bohol (Samar Tarictic Hornbill.) I've heard wonderful stories from birder friends about how they felt when they saw the Rufous Hornbill and I can only imagine how I would feel when my time comes to see them in the wild.

This April, Manila will be hosting the 6th International Hornbill Conference. It will definitely be very interesting browsing through the poster presentations and listening to people from all over the world share their expertise and experiences with regards to their studies on hornbills as well as their conservation efforts to save these birds from so many threats to their survival.

Here's a very cool infographic about hornbills:

For more information regarding the upcoming conference, you may visit their Facebook community page here. You may also visit the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines website and click on the links about the conference as well as register here. Hope to see you in April! Invite your friends and colleagues too! =)