Artificial nest cavities can sustain populations of hornbills in the degraded forests of Kinabatangan, Borneo

The Use of Nest Boxes in Malaysia: Design and the Potential for Research and In-situ Conservation of Birds

“…Complementary to the efforts to survey natural hornbill nests or tree cavities and restore them, nest boxes were also constructed based on recommendations by Kemp (1995) and installed in Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (LKWS), Sabah (Kaur, 2019). As a result, 25 nest boxes with materials varying from wood, fibreglass, and plastic barrel were provisioned (Vercoe et al, 2021). In addition, a rectangular nest box was built from recycled plastic material, while four cylindrical nest boxes were built from a plastic drum wrapped with styrofoam, a wire mesh, and a layer of cement and sand (Kaur & Ancrenaz, 2016).…”

“…Lichens were allowed to grow on the nest box surface to create a more natural appearance and provide light energy absorption (i.e., to reduce nest box temperature). Some difficulties in provisioning the nest boxes for birds were addressed, where wooden nest boxes tend to decay rapidly and often take over by stingless bees, civets, ants, and flying squirrels (Vercoe et al, 2021).…”

“…Likewise, about seven vulnerable secondary cavity-nesting species (Black Hornbill Anthracoceros malayanus, Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis, Plainpouched Hornbill Rhyticeros subruficollis, Rhinoceros Hornbill Buceros rhinoceros, Wreathed Hornbill Rhyticeros undulatus, White-fronted Scops-owl Otus sagittatus, and Long-tailed Parakeet Psittacula longicauda) along with an endangered (Wrinkled Hornbill Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus) and a critically endangered species (Helmeted Hornbill) (Puan et al, 2020;van der Hoek et al, 2017) may also benefit from such implementation. Additionally, nest boxes may also be provisioned for in-situ studies involving other fauna, such as mammals (e.g., bats, civets, squirrels), feral bees, and even herpetofaunas that refuge in tree cavities (Goldingay et al, 2020;Griffiths et al, 2020;Vercoe et al, 2021). However, it should be noted that provisioning nest boxes is rather supplementary and not a complete solution to species conservation as some, if not all, rare and threatened species may be unable to use and adapt to the presence of nest boxes.…”