MNS Hornbill Conservation Project began in 2004, MNS has monitored the seasonal mass movement of the Plain-pouched Hornbills and sought to understand the factors that influence their ‘migration’. In the early years on the project, monitoring efforts were limited to only a few days monthly due to constraints in resources. The introduction of the MNS Hornbill Volunteer Programme in 2008 enabled MNS to monitor twice daily flyby populations of the Plain-pouched Hornbills at Kg Tebang thus help better understand its daily and monthly trends. Through this continuous effort, we have counted perhaps the highest concentration of hornbills in the world to date i.e. over 3,200 individuals in a single count session. And we have also seen some very low numbers in some years.

The global distribution of Plain-pouched Hornbills is only limited to three countries i.e. Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar, with an estimated global population of 7,000 mature individuals. Based on these estimates, it is categorised as a globally threatened bird or Vulnerable to be precise. It is threatened by habitat loss and degradation and hunting/poaching.

Little is still known about their biology, ecology and conservation needs. MNS is currently working in partnership with the Thailand Hornbill Project team and Wildlife Conservation Society Myanmar Programme to address this situation. Meanwhile, all parties will continue to monitor their movements and locate their nesting sites to enable more detailed observations.

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