Hornbills usually pair for life but for both Stumpy and her current partner, it is love at second sight. Stumpy was one of a pair previously released to the wild. The pair were often seen flying together but one day the male disappeared.

After some time, Stumpy started paying daily visits to her current partner every day at his enclosure at JBP. He had lost his partner too – she’d died of unknown reasons in her nest, though he’d been a faithful provider. Another female was introduced to him but he did not take to her. Instead, he looked forward to Stumpy’s daily visits. The keepers decided to pair them up and they have been living happily together ever since.

During nest-building, the female alone enlarges the tree hole and cleans it of humus and leaves, while the male, perched nearby, makes clucking noises. He brings earth to seal the tree hole with the female inside. He may make up to 20 trips a day. The nest entrance is plastered over with mud and droppings, leaving only a narrow slit. The incarcerated female and chicks are entirely dependent on the male for food.