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.

Prelims takeaway

• Hornbill