Rare hornbill species once thought extinct in Singapore spotted in Sungei Buloh Wetlands

SINGAPORE – A rare rhinoceros hornbill - believed to be extinct in Singapore since the last wild bird was spotted about 200 years ago - got nature lovers all aflutter by making an appearance in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

For two days since Oct 28, when the hornbill was first spotted, bird-watching enthusiasts and wildlife photographers have flocked to the reserve with cameras and phones in tow, and flooded social media platforms with photos and video footage of the bird.

The rhinoceros hornbill is a large bird with black plumage, a white belly and a distinctive red-orange casque on its bill.

Mr David Tan, 60, who is retired after a career in the Singapore Armed Forces, said the sighting was totally unexpected and a rare treat for wildlife photographers who caught a glimpse of the bird and got a photo, too.

He said he arrived at the reserve at about 8.15am on Oct 28, after fellow local wildlife enthusiasts in a WhatsApp group he is a part of shared reports that the bird was spotted earlier that morning.

“I only managed to obtain a decent shot about an hour later as the bird was largely hidden in the tree canopy,” said Mr Tan, who later put up his photos on Facebook and Instagram.

Although it was his first encounter with the species, he identified it through visual observation and confirmation using bird identification apps.

“It is possible the hornbill might have flown in from Malaysia,” he said.

The rhinoceros hornbill is Malaysia’s national bird and the state bird of Sarawak.

Bird Society of Singapore vice-president Raghav Narayanswamy said there are records of the rhinoceros hornbill sightings in Singapore, but they were believed to be birds that escaped from captivity.

He said: “Sightings of locally extinct bird species are significant as they suggest our forests remain connected to the wider region.

“However, we still need to assess whether this is a truly wild bird or one that escaped from a private collection, either in Singapore or across the border in Johor.”

He added that members of the public can submit rare bird records through the society’s online portal, where experts vote on whether a sighting is of a wild or captive origin.

Conservation biologist Yong Ding Li, who is a regional coordinator at BirdLife International, said the rhinoceros hornbill is a species that depends on large forest landscapes across South-east Asia.

“Escaped hornbills are seen in Singapore from time to time, but this particular bird could have flown in naturally,” he said.

He added that wild populations still exist in nearby Malaysian forests like Mount Pulai, about 20km north of Sungei Buloh.

Dr Yong said: “The bird sighted here is a juvenile, which makes it less likely to have come from captivity. Rhinoceros hornbills are excellent dispersers and can travel long distances in search of fruit.

“The bird does not need to be rescued as it is perfectly healthy.”

Associate Professor Frank Rheindt from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at the National University of Singapore agreed that the bird was “likely a wandering individual from Peninsular Malaysia”.

He said: “The rhinoceros hornbill requires vast home ranges and old-growth trees with large cavities for nesting. It has disappeared from much of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, including Singapore, due to forest loss.”

According to the non-profit environment group Cicada Tree Eco Place, the last record of a wild rhinoceros hornbill seen in Singapore was in the late 1800s.

The Straits Times in 2009 reported that a wild rhinoceros hornbill, an escapee, was living in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and that Singapore researchers were exploring possible suitors for the female to breed with.

Native to several South-east Asian countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, the bird is monogamous, nesting in tree trunks and feeding mainly on fruit.