Didn’t you know that a kind of bird is called the “Clock of the Mountain”?

The forest is essential as a watershed. It gives people the benefit of climate control, pollution control,

and wild life conservation which the latter becomes one of the major forestry tribulations.

As an ecosystem, the forest is a community of plants and animals interacting with one another and with

the physical environment. Residence of a place where there is still dense growth of trees, together with

other plants, experience the exquisite resonance of animal creature that live in this area. One of which is

the farmer’s friend called kalaw [ka-la-w] or the hornbill.

Hornbills are omnivorous birds; meaning, a kind of species that eat both plants and animals as their

primary food source. Those forest living species of hornbills are considered to be important seed

dispersers. Most hornbills live in forests, and nest in holes in trees, while the species of open habitats

nest in cavities in hollow trees or in holes in cliffs.

Hornbills are rather conspicuous birds, because they make a wide range of loud noises.

In the Philippines, farmers noted that hornbills or the kalaw makes loud noise during the 12 high

noon and 12 midnight. That is why farmers call this bird the “clock of the mountain”.

Aside from over hunting, hornbills are now diminishing and are getting endangered following the

conversion of their tropical forest habitats to agriculture or other purposes. Many hunters are getting

interested of hornbills and kept them in captivity as interesting pets and for its valuable hornbill ivory.