Karnataka: Two-day Hornbill festival in Dandeli from January 16

Hubballi: The Forest Department is organising a two-day hornbill festival at Dandeli in Uttara Kannada district on January 16 and 17. The sixth edition of the event is being organised after a gap of one year.

Apart from witnessing the four varieties of hornbills, including the great Indian hornbill, in their natural habitat of Western Ghats, the participants will also get to understand the culture of the local communities and conservation efforts of the department, said a press release from the Haliyal division of the Forest Department, which is hosting the event along with Kali Tiger Reserve.

Participants would go on guided bird watching trails and take part in expert talks on the habitat and biodiversity conservation of this flagship species, along with witnessing the conservation awareness and community empowerment programmes taken up by the department. Experts from Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and other states will be participating to speak about the community conservation efforts in those hornbill states.

Interested individuals can register their names at https://kalitigerreserve.org/hornbill-festival-2026/ by paying Rs 1,500 per person.