Hornbill chick growing up quickly say bird park

“SHE’S all clear and out of the woods now,” said Grant Agett-Cox, Umgeni River Bird Park’s marketing manager. Agett-Cox was referring to the Black Casqued Wattle Hornbill chick, who in February, was only two months old and still only in the fledgling phase of her life. This period of development – spanning the first three months of the baby’s life – was a time of constant concern for the team at Umgeni River Bird Park. The fledgling phase is when a chick is at its most vulnerable and could easily or unexpectedly die.

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Now the four month-old hornbill is growing ‘in leaps and bounds’ said Agett-Cox. He went on to say that she is becoming more independent with each passing day. “She is already feeding herself and no longer clings to her parents side. We’ll often find her on the other side of the enclosure, away from her mother and father and is quite curious – exploring things for herself,” the bird park’s marketing manager said.

When the Northglen News first visited the hornbill fledgling, the bird park’s ornithologist didn’t know whether it was a male or female. Now the staff at Umgeni River Bird Park believe that the bird is a female. “By now her features would have changed if she were a male. Seeing as that hasn’t happened, we’re confident it is a girl,” said Agett-Cox.

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