Now I've been told by a bird expert that this is an Oriental Pied Hornbill.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Pied_Hornbill
Trouble is, this variety of bird is not native to Taiwan, although it may be found in Southern China. So it makes me wonder how it got out in the wild here in Taiwan.
We were doing a long walk through a stretch of farm land near the river in Xindian when we heard a loud banging sound. Drawn in the direction of a water tower perched on the 5th floor of a building, we saw this astounding bird.
A local passed by and looked at us starring at the bird and asked, "What kind of bird is that?"
Anyhow, here is the video. You can hear the banging sound after the motorcycle passes.
I think there are a few possible explanations here:
a) the bird is lost and somehow flew to Taiwan (unlikely as its not a migration bird)
b) it was brought in (smuggled in) as a pet and it got loose
c) it was brought in (smuggled in) as a pet and it was abandoned
d) it escaped from a preserve or a zoo
Any other ideas?
The concept of having wild animals as pets is not uncommon in Taiwan. If you are interested, read more here about orangutans, wild boars and more:
http://blog.islaformosa.com/2008/06/orangutang-alert-and-other-strange.html
If you are a bird enthusiast, we saw the bird at the location on the map. You can see the water tower in Street View:
View Larger Map
2 comments:
They can be found in the Phillipines, at least in Palawan, where I saw them, so it's possible it got blown over to Taiwan somehow.
It's great that you have time sharing it here. I do love birds. :D
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