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In the misty pre-dawn hours of Royal Belum State Park, while most of Malaysia sleeps, a peculiar congregation has gathered recently.
They carry binoculars like talismans and speak in hushed, reverent tones about casques and gular sacs.
These are the hornbill hunters—not with guns, but with cameras and an almost religious devotion to some of the world’s most spectacular birds.
For 10 years now, the Royal Belum International Hornbill Expedition has drawn nature enthusiasts from across the globe to this pristine corner of Perak, where ancient rainforests harbour all ten of Malaysia’s hornbill species.
This year, as the expedition celebrated its milestone anniversary, the numbers told a remarkable story.
Andrew J. Sebastian, founder of the Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY), knows it by heart: 289 Plain-pouched Hornbills spotted, 12 Oriental Pied Hornbills recorded, and—most thrilling of all—four sightings of the critically endangered Helmeted Hornbill, a bird so rare that each encounter feels like a minor miracle.
These numbers represent more than just statistics. They’re indicators of ecosystem health and the success of our conservation efforts in one of Malaysia’s most important biodiversity hotspots.
I Could Not Tell the Difference’: Japanese Retiree’s Honest Confession Reveals True Value of Belum Experience
Fumie Sawamura, a 67-year-old retiree from Japan, joined this year’s expedition.
“It was my first time doing birdwatching, so I could not find birds by myself,” she admits
Other participants showed me the birds, and then I was able to find them. But honestly, I could not tell the difference between the 10 species of hornbills.
Her confession might sound like failure, but it captures something essential about the Royal Belum experience.
This isn’t about ticking boxes on a birding checklist—it’s about initiation into a world most people never knew existed.
Sawamura, who plans to share her adventure with her English conversation group at the Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur, discovered something that surprised her more than the birds themselves.
The most surprising thing about this tour was the discovery of 10 species of hornbills. I think most people are unaware that there are 10 species.
From Tourism Icons to Family Bonds: Expedition Reveals Hidden Depths of Malaysia’s Hornbill Diversity
Indeed, most people don’t.
While hornbills have become something of a Malaysian icon—their distinctive silhouettes grace everything from tourism brochures to corporate logos—few realise the extraordinary diversity hidden within that familiar shape.
From the massive Great Hornbill with its golden casque to the diminutive Bushy-crested Hornbill, each species represents millions of years of evolutionary fine-tuning.
The expedition’s comprehensive count this year—including six Rhinoceros Hornbills, six Bushy-crested Hornbills, four Black Hornbills, two each of Wreathed, Wrinkled, and White-crowned Hornbills, plus two Great Hornbills—paints a picture of remarkable biodiversity that Sebastian and his team have worked tirelessly to protect and showcase.
Jogli Tupas, a 59-year-old pastor from the Philippines who joined the expedition, found himself captivated by qualities that transcend mere taxonomy.
Their striking, unusual features are amazing, and the calls they make are so commanding,” he reflects. But it was a behavioural discovery that stayed with him:
My new understanding of hornbills is that they travel in family groups.
This revelation—that these magnificent birds navigate the forest canopy in family units—speaks to something deeper about the Royal Belum experience.
Living Libraries: Local Guides Preserve Irreplaceable Forest Wisdom as Rare Species Hang in Balance
The expedition isn’t just about spotting rare birds; it’s about witnessing the intricate social fabric of one of the world’s oldest rainforests.
The local guides, Tupas notes, provided “an extra pair of trained eyes” along with stories and wisdom accumulated over lifetimes spent in these forests.
These guides represent an irreplaceable resource—human libraries of ecological knowledge who can distinguish between the calls of different hornbill species and predict their movements through the canopy.
Sebastian’s carefully documented numbers tell their own story of conservation success and concern.
The 289 Plain-pouched Hornbills represent a healthy population of these regionally migrating birds, while the dozen Oriental Pied Hornbills suggest stable breeding populations in the area.
More sobering are the counts for rarer species: just two Wreathed Hornbills and two Great Hornbills spotted, and only four precious sightings of the Helmeted Hornbill—a species so endangered that each individual matters for the survival of the entire population.
Ancient Calls, Modern Pilgrims: Royal Belum Bridges Two Worlds Through Hornbill Expeditions
Yet there’s reason for optimism in these pristine forests – the very fact that all 10 species can still be found here represents a conservation triumph in a region where deforestation has eliminated hornbills from vast swaths of their former range.
As the expedition enters its second decade, it has evolved into something more than a birding tour.
It has become a pilgrimage site for those seeking a connection with Malaysia’s natural heritage, a classroom for conservation education, and a testament to the power of ecotourism in protecting irreplaceable ecosystems.
For participants like Sawamura and Tupas, the experience transcends the technical details of species identification.
They return home not just with photographs and memories, but as ambassadors for a world that exists parallel to our own—a world where ancient trees shelter ancient birds, where families of hornbills navigate the canopy with calls that have echoed through these forests for millennia.
In an age of environmental crisis, the Royal Belum International Hornbill Expedition offers something increasingly rare: proof that conservation and wonder can coexist, that tourism can nurture rather than exploit, and that sometimes the most profound discoveries come not from conquering nature, but from learning to see it through the eyes of those who know it best.
The photographs accompanying this article were captured primarily using the Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G) lens paired with the Sony A1II camera body, equipment that proved invaluable for documenting these magnificent birds in their natural habitat.
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