The first time you encounter this large bird it’s hard to be silent! I for one just uttered WOW!
This amazingly beautiful male was scanning the surroundings, possibly for food, and it was amazing to watch as he slowly turned his head and giant beak as the eyes focused on finding whatever he was looking for.
It was a day with low clouds and the background would have been a green forested hill in days with high clouds or sunshine.
This is a threatened species, and even in the protected areas where it is “common”, it is not necessary easy to see as these large birds do not fly around in the sky. Instead you might hear the whooshing of their wings as they pass above you. That is the time to keep a close eye on their direction and landing, so that you can hopefully get up and close. Other times you simply hear and hopefully follow their “song”, a simple bark, which can be very hard to localize.
I for one was very grateful that luck was on my side this early on in my Bhutan journey.
I’ve not found confirmation on this, but I was told that each bar on the beak is one year’s growth, and is thus a record of his age, and he should be 13 years old.
It sounds like this:
Elevation: 876 meters
Last updated on 14 January 2022
