Can birds fall in love? I had my question answered in a life-changing way.

Earlier this month, I was at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC), a facility that rescues and rehabilitates wild animals and birds in the Kaziranga National Park landscape in Assam. Sprawling across nine hectares, the centre hosts a variety of injured and orphaned animals, birds and reptiles, in need of treatment and veterinary care before they are ready to return safely to the wild. Located near the Methoni Tea Estates, the CWRC campus, including both its clinic and natural enclosures and paddocks, is nestled under huge ficus trees and this is where the magic happened.

Every morning at CWRC, my wake-up call came in the form of distinct flapping wings, resonating through the air above the towering fig tree situated near my dormitory. This was unlike any other wing flaps you would have heard. Hornbills, known to fly with heavy wing beats – a huffing noise comprising three rhythmic flaps a set followed by a few seconds of glide – can easily stir an unwary heart. For me, this served as a cue to run out with my camera to capture the essence of this majestic bird. For the time I was there, it became a cherished ritual.

For this pair of Oriental pied hornbills, it was like a homecoming.

I remember reading a report about the male hornbill that was rescued as a chick in 2022. The family had lost the male, who in the hornbill world, was the gender responsible for bringing in the food. Female hornbills seal themselves inside the hollow of a tree, along with new-born chicks for safety. Unfortunately, and for reasons still unknown, the male was found dead in the local reservoir by villagers, while his family nestled within the tree awaited his return. The concerned villagers, who were accustomed to their unique feeding rituals, immediately contacted CWRC and the family was carefully transferred to the centre. Without help, the whole family would have starved to death. Our team created an artificial nest which the mother readily adopted. They devised a clever strategy of using an artificially fabricated hornbill beak, resembling the male, to feed the birds. Although it took time and effort, the chicks gradually grew strong and were soon ready to be released back to the wild.

Oriental Pied Hornbill chick at CWRC | Photo by Dr. Samshul Ali

Hornbills mate for life and with the male gone, this was still a broken family. However, this is a story of miracles! “Rarely reported from the wild, we witnessed a unique case of alloparenting. A wild male had adopted this family and seeing the family whole was a divine experience. Now the female too has a second chance at life and love”, says Dr. Samshul, centre manager and head veterinarian at CWRC. The chicks, three males and one female, grew up under the same fig and eventually took flight as the embarked on their own journey to find partners of their own.

A year later, there was a young female

In July 2023, a young female hornbill was admitted to CWRC with a compromised flight.  It was a fledgling and looked like it had left its nest much before time. The team managed to set up an enclosure suited to its age and requirements. It was placed on a diet of fruits, figs and egg whites.

Unexpectedly, the prodigal son had returned, identified by the metallic leg ring that was put during its time of release. In its beak, he was carrying insects, that he was feeding the young female from outside the enclosure. “It was among the most precious wildlife experiences in my lifetime”, adds Dr. Samshul. The once-orphaned bird had returned to his second home to take care of others of his kind. It was possibly the sound of the female that had attracted the male who might have been frequenting the area since its lastspotting two months ago. Day after day, the male brought in a variety of food, ranging from geckos to crickets, and sometimes even flower petals, fostering a growing bond between the pair. This is the kind of courtship typically occurs among hornbills in the wild but across the wires of the enclosure, it was a first at CWRC!

Oriental pied hornbill interaction across the rehabilitation cage | Photograph by Samshul Ali

The following week, the young bird was diagnosed with corneal opacity, likely resulting from a traumatic injury that it might have encountered in the wild but had taken time to fully manifest. While the team at CWRC was doing its best to treat the bird, it had to be taken into surgery for a tarsorraphy or a “third eye flap”. Dr. Samshul sighed a relief after a week, when the bird started responding to visual cues, indicating that it had regained its sight. Out of the surgery room, the male was seen waiting as usual, the next morning, with its offerings. It was just like caring for a loved one who has fallen sick. As time passed, the male started spending more time with the young female.

And then, there were two!

On the 2^nd of September, the young female was released inside the campus, and the male eagerly awaited high up in the fig tree. The two swiftly reunited, almost as if the male had been anticipating this moment all along. Drawing from his own experience of being released, he immediately started with the “rroh” calls, perhaps in excitement. It was the start of a love affair of a lifetime.

Pair of Oriental Pied Hornbills at CWRC | Photograph by Madhumay Mallik

I could have stared and wondered all my life at the playfulness between these feathered partners. Neck rubs, head pats and the occasional feeding of ripe figs are as intimate as they could have got. With CWRC being their second home, they acknowledged and even approved of our presence around them.

The grand old fig tree, I am sure stands a proud witness to countless magical moments that unfold each day. The world of animals and birds is not that different from what we experience. They register the same kind of feelings we have for our loved one. They know how to care. If anything, we should draw inspiration from the life they live.

by Madhumay Mallik