■ India’s fascinating hornbills and Their features-
The logo for India’s upcoming G20 presidency was officially unveiled recently at the Hornbill festival in Nagaland.
Brings attention to a family of some of the largest, most magnificent birds in our country.
● Great Hornbill:
Occurrence: Himalayan foothills, the Northeast and the Western Ghats.
Recognition: state bird of Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala.
Physical features: Wingspan – 5 feet
● Other species:
Wreathed hornbill, the brown hornbill and the rufous-necked hornbill
Slightly smaller
Found only in Northeast India
Oriental pied hornbill
Found in the Rajaji National Park, Uttarakhand
Malabar grey hornbill
Found in Western Ghats
Indian grey hornbill
Smallest sized hornbill
Found all over (except the Thar Desert)
● Characteristics of the bird:
Living preferences: tall trees (breast height being 1.5 metres or more).
Environmental relationship: Mutualism with the trees where they nest.
Eating preferences: Large fruit-eating birds
Environmental propagation: Disperse the seeds of ~80 rainforest trees.
● Decline in the population:
Characteristic of the decline: Slow as they are long lived (~40 years)
Large size: makes them prone to being hunted
Helmeted hornbill of Sumatra and Borneo: critically endangered
Due to its helmet-like casque (a horny outgrowth over the skull), aka red ivory, is highly prized.
