A SURVEY ON MASS MOVEMENTS OF THE VULNERABLE PLAIN-POUCHED HORNBILL IN THE BELUM-TEMENGOR FOREST COMPLEX, PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Annually, hundreds of Plain-pouched Hornbills, Aceros subruficollis, are seen in the Temengor Forest Reserve between the months of August and September. The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), an environmental non-government organization (NGO), conducted a 64-day survey with assistance from volunteers to count the daily numbers of A. subruficollis present at dawn and dusk during their mass movements over Pos Chiong. The Plain-pouched Hornbill flocks were observed heading north-east during the dawn surveys and south-west during the dusk surveys. The highest number of A. subruficollis counted during the survey was 3,261 individuals whilst the lowest number was 595 individuals in a single count. This paper was presented at the 5(th) International Hornbill Conference jointly organised by the National Parks Board (Singapore) and the Hornbill Research Foundation (Thailand), in Singapore on 22(nd)-25(th) March 2009.