The bird that seals its own mate inside a tree for months
This bird locks its own mate inside a tree for months, sealed behind a wall of mud.
Which one is REALLY true about the Hornbill?
The short version
The hornbill has a huge hollow casque on its beak and a bizarre nesting habit: the female squeezes into a tree hole and the pair wall her in with mud and droppings, leaving only a slit. She stays sealed inside for months while the male feeds her through the gap, keeping eggs and chicks safe from snakes and monkeys.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Hornbill carries a huge hollow casque on top of its beak.
- ✓The Hornbill walls the female into a tree hole with mud, droppings and fruit after she has squeezed inside herself, leaving only a narrow slit.
- ✓The Hornbill leaves her sealed in that chamber for months, completely dependent on the male, who passes food through the gap.
- ✓The Hornbill uses that mud wall to keep the eggs and chicks safe from snakes and hungry monkeys.
- ✓The Hornbill breaks the wall down from the inside when the young are finally ready to step out into the world.
The Hornbill is about the same length as a 7-year-old.
The full story
This bird traps its own partner inside a tree, and she lets it happen. Meet the hornbill, famous for the huge hollow casque on top of its beak, and for one of the strangest nesting habits in all of nature. When a female is ready to lay her eggs, she squeezes into a hole in a tree, and then the pair wall her inside using mud, droppings, and fruit, leaving only a narrow slit. She stays sealed in that chamber for months, completely dependent on the male, who passes food to her through the gap. It keeps her eggs and chicks safe from snakes and hungry monkeys. When the young are finally ready, they break the wall down and step out into the world. It is one of the most devoted and downright bizarre parenting rituals found anywhere in the animal kingdom. Follow for more weird animal facts.
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“The Hornbill carries a huge hollow casque on top of its beak.”
“The Hornbill shoots a jet of its own blood up to five feet straight out of its eyes when cornered.”
“The Hornbill walls the female into a tree hole with mud, droppings and fruit after she has squeezed inside herself, leaving only a narrow slit.”