Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
A plump fresh blueberry gently arcs through the air and over to Raja, who catches it deftly in her impressive hornbill bill. Soon after, a beetle larva is tossed her way, and with a flash of the bright yellow hornlike casque growing on top of her head, she snatches the bug out of the air and gulps it down.
Raja, a rare rhinoceros hornbill, is the most recent endangered animal to arrive at the North Florida Wildlife Center (NFWC). Here, she'll have a safe home and become an ambassador of sorts for her amazing species (Buceros rhinoceros). Her name, Raja, means “royalty” in the Sanskrit language spoken throughout Southeast Asia, the natural range for her species. One look at her reinforces why this name is well chosen.
“In the bird world, this is among the pinnacle as far as the caliber of rarity and beauty and size. This is the pinnacle. It's totally surreal and mind-blowing that we have been entrusted with this bird,” says NFWC Director Ryan Reines.
He admits he is on the verge of crying tears of joy and pride about having this bird at the center among all the other incredibly rare and endangered animals NFWC has been able to acquire since opening in 2019. This is his favorite bird on the planet.
In striking contrast to their prominent yellow casque and large white beaks, rhinoceros hornbill bodies are covered in shiny black feathers. Their long white tail has a broad black band, and their legs and feet are olive green. They typically stand 47 inches tall and have a wingspan of 60 inches. They eat mostly fruit and insects, which is why Raja was quick to down those blueberries and larvae offered to her.
Raja weighs about five pounds, which is a lot for a bird. By comparison, a bob-white quail typically weighs less than half a pound, and even a great horned owl weighs only about three pounds. Of the wild birds we see in Jefferson County, great blue herons have a weight similar to that of rhinoceros hornbills.
These birds can live to around 35 years of age! Raja, who is nine years old could, therefore, still have a long life ahead of her in the aviary at NFWC. That means there's time to for Reines find a mate for her and give her the opportunity to nest.
“For the time being,” says Reines, “she's going to be moved over to the amphitheater, once she's ready to be part of our ambassador bird team to meet visitors.”
Raja is just the latest arrival at the center, which is home to a wide range of animal residents, including some of the world's rarest and most endangered species. The NFWC invites you to “Visit the center and experience nature's most fascinating life forms, from playful lemurs and a giant anteater to snake-eating eagles, semi-terrestrial fish and many more strange and incredible animals!”
NFWC is located at 1386 Cook Rd. in Lamont. To book a tour, visit www.northfloridawildlife.org.
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