In the tropics fruiting time is unpredictable. The hornbill cannot rely on seasonality and so spends much time visiting different trees and checking for ripeness.
Timing is all.
During their nesting period, the hornbill's domestic arrangements are as as wonderful as anything found in nature. The male hornbill muds his mate into a hollow tree, leaving only a small hole through which he passes food for her and the growing chicks. Male hornbills have been seen to swallow as many as 70 small fruits and carry them to the nest to be regurgitated to their young.