This is the Sulu hornbill, Anthracoceros montani. There, you can hear the helmeted hornbill, Rhinoplax vigil, and over there is the rufous hornbill, Buceros hydrocorax. These three hornbill species inhabit moist forests of neighbouring regions. All are facing dramatic decreases in their populations.
In fact, the Sulu hornbill is considered one of the rarest birds on the planet, with an estimated 27 individuals remaining.
In the late 19th century it was described as abundant throughout the Sulu archipelago. From the mid-20th century onwards, however, the islands experienced a rapid deforestation due to commercial logging. Now, almost no primary forest remains on Jolo Island, and many of the smaller islands have also been largely cleared. On Tawi-tawi, only small patches remain, and it is here that a tiny population of Sulu hornbills persists. This forest is not protected and is still being cleared, slowly but surely reducing the suitable habitat for this species.
It is of utmost importance that the remaining parts of its range be formally protected, but official discussions on this topic have stalled.
Military activity and religious conflict present a problem for travellers to the area - even observing the status of the bird is considered highly risky. Conservationists are required to arrange military escort to ensure their safety. In February 2012, two European birdwatchers were kidnapped while looking for the Sulu hornbill on Tawi-tawi. Two years later, one of them managed to escape, but only by murdering one of his captors. The other birdwatcher was shot and killed in May 2019 during an exchange of fire between government forces and the insurgents.
The Sulu hornbill is a medium-sized bird, all black but for a white tail. The skin around the eyes is bare, and the eyes themselves are creamy in males, and dark brown in females.
An identifying feature unique to the hornbills is the casque - a hard, bony structure attached to the upper part of the bill. Although quite large in some hornbills, it is light and usually hollow. The casque is used when fighting, but also serves as a resonating chamber, amplifying their calls. They are one of the only types of bird to have eyelashes.
Hornbills usually nest in tree or rock cavities. After mating, females seal themselves in the cavity with a mixture of droppings and food material, leaving only a small opening through which she is fed by the male. During this time the entire family is dependant on the male, as long as five months in some species. It is thought this behaviour protects the nesting site from rivals.
The hornbill plays an important symbolic role for many of the indigenous groups in the region. For the Dayak tribes, the hornbill is a central figure, and representative of the upper world, or male realm.
During ceremonies to mark births, initiations, weddings, and particularly, during mortuary feasts, head-dresses are worn which portray the “tree of life” - the unified energy of the underworld and the upper world, female and male, moon and sun, water-snake and hornbill; a battle of polar elements which leads to total cosmic annihilation, and therefore, rebirth.
Hornbills and their counterparts the water-snakes also appear together on carved wooden masks worn during Hudoq, an important agricultural festival for some tribes. The exaggerated features of the masks and the accompanying dance help to scare away evil spirits as rice is planted, but also create tears of mirth from the audience, providing water for the new crops.
Punan Bah people believe a huge helmeted hornbill is perched on the bridge between life and death. The hornbill, with its screams, tries to terrify the newly departed soul so that it falls into the open mouth of its companion, a giant fish.
As hornbills become rarer in some regions and are scarcely seen, ethno-ornithologists have noted that its symbolic element is increasingly depicted as a more common bird - the chicken, with the casque transformed into the comb of the cock.