Officials of the Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park have recently reported the sighted of five plain-pouched hornbills (Aceros subruficollis) flying near the mountain viewpoint on Wua Talap Island.

Park officials said that the birds are quite rare in the park, because it is far from the mainland of Surat Thani Province and only a few forests are left on the islands in the park, where other species of hornbill are frequently seen.

The sighting of the plain-pouched hornbills is a valuable New Year gift for the marine park, because it suggests a healthy level of diversity in the ecological system of the park in the Gulf of Thailand, off Surat Thani province.