Great hornbills live in the tall trees of Thailand's rainforest. They eat mostly fruit, but will also snap up lizards, large insects and even small snakes. Their huge beak looks heavy, but it is actually hollow and full of air pockets, so it isn't as heavy as it looks.
When a great hornbill flies overhead, you can hear it from a long way off. The whoosh-whoosh-whoosh of its wing beats sounds a bit like a tiny steam train chugging through the trees. The noise is so loud because the feathers at the base of each wing are stiff and let air rush between them with every flap.
Hornbills do something extraordinary when it is time to have babies. The mother finds a hollow in a big tree, climbs inside, and the father helps her seal the entrance with mud, leaving just a small slit. She sits inside the sealed tree for months, looking after the egg and the chick. The dad brings fruit through the slit every day. When the chick is big enough, they break the wall down together.
Great hornbills mate for life. A pair can live together for over 30 years - longer than most pet dogs. They are an important symbol in Thailand and are protected in many national parks, including Khao Yai.

