Context: More than 60 years after disappearing from Gujarat’s Gir forests, the Indian Grey Hornbill has successfully established its presence again following a landmark reintroduction program by the Gujarat Forest Department.
About The Indian Grey Hornbill:
What It Is?
- The Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris) is a medium-sized, highly adaptive arboreal bird belonging to the hornbill family (Bucerotidae). It is one of the most common hornbill species native to the Indian subcontinent, widely recognized for its distinct cascading calls and unique nesting rituals.
Habitat and Distribution:
- Geographical Range: Endemic to the Indian subcontinent, found extensively across India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
- Ecological Niche: Unlike its deep-forest relatives, it thrives in open deciduous forests, thorn scrublands, riparian woodlands, rural fields, and even urban parks or old avenue plantations containing mature, hollow fruit-bearing trees.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC)
Key characters:
- Distinctive Appearance: About 24 inches long, with silvery-grey and brownish plumage, a pale eyebrow line, and a long tail tipped with white.
- Casque and Bill: Has a large curved bill topped by a prominent pointed casque, which is smaller and more pointed in females.
- Mud-Sealing Nesting Ritual: The female seals herself inside a tree cavity using mud, faeces, and fruit pulp, leaving only a narrow slit for receiving food.
- Total Dietary Dependence: While nesting, moulting, and raising chicks, the enclosed female depends entirely on the male for food.
- Social Behaviour: Monogamous and usually seen in pairs or family groups, it flies with alternating flaps and glides while producing loud squealing calls.
Significance:
- Farmers of the Forest: By consuming fruits and dispersing intact seeds over long distances, Indian Grey Hornbills promote forest regeneration and plant diversity.
- Natural Pest Controllers: By feeding on insects, lizards, scorpions, and other small animals, they help control pest populations in forests and nearby agricultural areas.
