The Austen's brown hornbill (Anorrhinus austeni) belongs to the family Bucerotidae under the order Bucerotiformes.
The Anorrhinus spp. are found in Southeast Asia and the adjacent parts of India and China. These species have evolved a social system of cooperative breeding. The adult offsprings stay in the natal territory, helping their parents to nest, defend and feed their younger siblings.
The parent birds tolerate the grown offsprings in their territory. The young adults sacrifice their breeding opportunities, to contribute for the parental reproductive success and parental survival.
The freshly moulted female and young hatchlings are under the risk of starvation death when the male is killed, disabled or incapacitated. However when there are helpers the feed-supply goes on till the chicks fledge.
Research studies have revealed that nests without helper-birds fail quite often. The nest with helpers are highly successful and there is increase in the number of chicks fledged. Greater number of helpers resulted in large successful broods. The time taken by the chick to fledge is also gets reduced.
1.Photo by lonelyshrimp |
2.Photo by Pkspks |
3.Photo by Rohit Naniwadekar |
4.Photo by Pkspks |
5.Photo by Pkspks |
6.Austen's brown hornbill - Anorrhinus austeni |
1.Photo source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lonelyshrimp/33402561731/in/pool-backyardbirds/ (cropped)
Author: lonelyshrimp | License: CC0 1.0 (public domain) as on 4/12/17
2.Photo source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Austen%27s_Brown_Hornbill.jpg (cropped)
Author: Pkspks | License: CC BY-SA 4.0
3.Photo source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:White_throated_Brown_Hornbill.jpg (cropped)
Author: Rohit Naniwadekar | License: CC BY-SA 3.0
4.Photo source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Austen%27s_Brown_Hornbill.jpg (cropped)
Author: Pkspks | License: CC BY-SA 4.0
5.Photo source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Austen%27s_Brown_Hornbill.jpg (cropped)
Author: Pkspks | License: CC BY-SA 4.0
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