The magnificent hornbill

Most bird lovers know the hornbill as a bird that builds its nest in a hollow tree trunk, and that the male usually seals the entrance of the nest with clay once the female has laid her eggs in it. In doing this, the male leaves only a small slit through which he can pass food to the 'imprisoned' female. So, the female bird remains inside the tree trunk until the young ones are old enough to feed on their own.

The male would then unseal the entrance of the nest so as to free the female and the fledglings. This manner of harvesting food by the male hornbill for the female and her young ones is perhaps the motivation behind the Setswana adage: "Korwe ke je, ke bapalela tsetse." When loosely translated, it means that the male hornbill does not eat while in search of food for he has to feed the wife and young ones. In the same way, a fable recorded in the book,