Great Hornbill
(Photo by Peter
Ericsson) |
|
That
Great Hornbill features so highly on this list is testament
to how easily us birdwatchers are seduced by big, colourful
birds. Anyone who has witnessed a Great Hornbill uttering
its "Gok, Gok" call across a forested valley, or
heard the load "whoosh" of its wings in flight will
attest to the fact that this is a most exciting species indeed.
Khao
Yai is a great place to observe this species,
where it is a fairly common bird and there can be few better
memories of a trip to this wonderful national park than a
sighting of a Great Hornbill foraging in a fruiting tree or
flying across a valley. There are also frequent sightings
from Kaeng Krachan,
Khao Sok,
Hala-Bala
and Thalebun.
The near
threatened status of this species reflects the pressures that
habitat loss and hunting has had upon it, and in many parts
of Thailand the sound or sight of a Great Hornbill is very
rare indeed. In Thailand, Great Hornbill has suffered most
in the north, vanishing from areas in which it was formerly
common. |
