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Bukit Timah is currently home to a family of five oriental pied hornbills as Jurong Bird Park, National Parks Board (NParks) and the Singapore Avian Conservation Project (SACP) successfully introduced a pair, Sada and Lily, into the wild in December 2008. For the first recorded observation in Singapore, three chicks were hatched with two clutches in a single breeding season, and the family now roams free in Bukit Timah.

Sada and Lily were initially housed in a large introductory aviary within Bukit Timah. After they had bred and two chicks hatched, a portion of the aviary was opened for Sada to fly out to look for food to feed Lily and the chicks, which were still sealed in their nest. As the male hornbill forages for food for the female and the chicks when they are sealed in, Sada was true to this fathering trait. Although he roamed freely, he still returned to feed Lily and the chicks, eventually breeding two chicks to freedom in the wild for the first clutch. Subsequently, Sada and Lily were released into the wild. A third chick was also successfully fledged in this area for their second clutch.

'Oriental pied hornbills are native to Singapore, and we are ecstatic that our oriental pied hornbills have bred and are thriving in the wild. Our avian team and our partners have worked hard to make this breeding programme a success, and we will continue to provide suitable living and nesting habitats for these birds,' said Mr Raja Segran, General Curator,