Malay kalao: why tropical birds need such an unusual beak

There are many exotic birds in the rainforests, but none of them beats Malay kalao. A bright, beautiful bird, over whose beak an unusual design rises, can surprise anyone. Why did the feathered bird need such a strange beak that limits the view of space, and adds extra weight to the body, which is completely inappropriate during the flight?

Malayan kalao, which live in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the islands of Indonesia, belong to the rhinoceros family. As the name implies, representatives of this family are distinguished by unusual beaks that have outgrowths. But the Malay kalao is perhaps the most interesting person among all his brothers.

These birds are quite large, and the length of their body along with the tail reaches 120 centimeters. These are very noisy birds that make loud booming sounds. But the flying abilities of Kalao are not very well developed. These birds make short, mostly planning flights, and prefer to spend time in the crown of trees. Malayan kalao are almost omnivorous, their diet includes fruits and seeds of trees, small snakes, lizards and rodents.

Malayan kalao have very reverent family relationships. Despite the fact that most of the year birds live in packs, couples keep together, and the male regularly gives attention to the female. During the hatching and feeding of the chicks, only the male is engaged in feeding the entire family, including the female. This is connected not only with warm feelings: during hatching of eggs, the female changes feathers, and she cannot fly for some time. Therefore, the future of the whole family depends on the trustworthiness and diligence of the partner.

The true pride of Malay kalao is its beak. The beak itself is quite large, and above its base, starting from the head, there is a characteristic outgrowth. This horn consists of keratin and is hollow inside, so it does not deliver any particular inconvenience in terms of excess weight to birds. Interestingly, an unusual horn grows in the kalao throughout life: the older the bird, the longer its "decoration" on its beak, and the beak itself.

On the purpose of such an unusual detail on the head, ornithologists did not come to a consensus. An unusual horn serves as a resonator, which enhances the volume of the cries issued by the kalao. The second purpose of the horn may be a supporting function: it acts as a link between a rather small head and a bulky, long beak. Since both sexes have an unusual addition to the beak, it hardly serves to attract the attention of females.

Locals are very respectful of the Malayan kalao and even worship their statues. The embodiment of this reverent attitude is also the emblem of one of the Malay states, which depicts the kalao.