The Disappearance of the Figs

Let me introduce you to a magnificent bird that most people haven’t heard of. The Knobbed hornbill is a large bird with stubby legs, a colorful thick beak, iridescent feathers and sharp claws to climb. The male has a brilliant red crest, the female’s is yellow. It’s an omnivore that loves figs and is the main spreader for the fig seeds. It nests in a large cavity in the upper half of a tall tree in the lush, humid, tropical forest. The long term effect of climate change on Sulawesi’s environment will reshape the Knobbed hornbill forever. Rising sea levels, swampy inlands and floods will cause more brackish waters, bugs and fish. Now the hornbill has a narrow beak for catching fish and bugs and have reed nests because trees topple in storms. As the hornbills diet changes they stop spreading seeds which leads to the disappearance of the figs!