<p>M Jayashankar, Vinesh L S & Anil H S spot a pair of Indian grey hornbills nesting on the branches of a shrub in Bangalore’s Haniyur. Tracking the birds over consecutive weeks leads them to another sighting, of two pairs in quick succession. Road widening and development projects have meant that the bird, once spotted in other areas of Bangalore, is less visible now.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Oversized beaks often decorated with large casques and unusual breeding habits make hornbills truly fascinating. <br /><br />They have been known to mankind for a long time and feature in many ancient customs and myths. In ancient Rome, they were known as Rhinoceros birds. Their distinctive beaks and casques have resulted in their skulls being used in ceremonial head gear. <br /><br />For centuries, the tribal Nyishi people of Arunachal Pradesh have worn the magnificent beaks of hornbills (their state bird) as part of their traditional headgear called pudum, considered a sign of manhood and tribal identity, now replaced with artificial gear, aimed at conserving the bird. <br /><br />There are 54 species of hornbills in the world (75 per cent of the 54 species are forest dwellers). Nine species of these large birds are found in India. As far as Bangalore is concerned, the bird was recorded in Lalbagh and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in the past, according to veteran birder Abraham Verghese. <br /><br />There have been reports of sighting grey hornbills on large avenue trees along the Mysore road earlier, but that is no longer the case, owing to road widening projects. Considering their fragile existence and many threats posed to their survival, a large-scale monitoring of these birds needs to be undertaken in the region.<br /><br />We spotted a pair of Indian grey hornbills, Ocyceros birostris, was spotted on the branches of the bug weed, Solanum mauritianum, off the main road in Haniyur, Bangalore north taluk, Bangalore urban district, last month. As soon as we spotted the pair on a tree a few feet from the road, we stopped, and without much noise, observed the pair to confirm their species identity and photograph them immediately. <br /><br />As we took out our camera, the pair sensed our presence and started their characteristic flip-flopping from tree top to tree top before disappearing into the adjacent thicket. <br />Desperate, but taking care not to pose any threat and disturbance in compliance with the code of bird watching, we sat on a stone slab by the road side, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ashy hornbills resting on a branch, but in vain. <br /><br />The pair moved swiftly and escaped into the adjacent thicket. In our continued quest to watch the birds, we reached our destination the next weekend and interacted with senior residents of the village. The villagers were of the opinion that the area has seen this species for the last four decades and that pea fowl were a recent entry. The birds have been spotted more often in pairs and known for their squealing vocalisations, which helps in detecting their presence easily. <br /><br />Bird diversity<br /><br />A wide avian diversity showcased itself, with three pea hens taking off from an agricultural field into a thicket adjacent to the Haniyur lake. We recorded close to a dozen species of birds including the white browed bulbul, yellow-eyed babbler, redwattled lapwing, female cuckoo, common myna, oriental magpie robin, jungle myna, common kite, black drongo, grey Francolin, spotted dove, rose ringed parakeets and jungle crow. <br /><br />We decided to sit on a stone slab to locate the hornbills from where we left off last time when we spotted the pair. This time we cautiously watched the pair hidden in the rich foliage of the tamarind tree. As we drew closer to the tree for a picture, this time too, the pair flew to a nearby coconut tree. The landing of the bird on the palm leaf facilitated a wonderful picture of the avifauna with a prominent casque. Except the Southern ground hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri), almost all hornbills possess a casque. <br /><br />The villagers guided us to a nearby patch of trees consisting of jamun and mango. The visit to the mini grove opened up a new world; we located two more pairs in succession within the next 15 minutes. The monogamous birds are found in pairs or small groups. <br />The nesting season is April to June and the clutch varies from one to five white eggs. Indian grey hornbills usually nest in tree hollows on tall trees. <br /><br />The jamun trees were dominated by rose ringed parakeets. There are reports recorded of the grey hornbills removing and possibly preying on the chicks of rose-ringed parakeets. Other avifauna like myna, jungle crow and night jars, were recorded in the grove.<br /><br />The geographical distribution of the Indian grey hornbill is mainly on the plains up to about 2,000 feet. <br /><br />It is found from the foothills of the Himalayas southwards bounded on the west by the Indus system and the Gangetic delta on the east. It does not overlap much with the Malabar grey hornbill of the Western Ghats. <br /><br />We confirmed the existence of a small group of the distinctive Indian grey hornbills birds through our observations. Our bird watching coincided with the breeding season extending from April to June. <br /><br />The jamun grove for nesting and scrub thickets to forage seem to have favoured the hornbill’s choice to nest in the area. They need to be monitored as they are known to have highly restricted geographic ranges with specialised requirements. <br /><br />Many conservationists emphasise the need to include the birds in the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act.</p>
<p>M Jayashankar, Vinesh L S & Anil H S spot a pair of Indian grey hornbills nesting on the branches of a shrub in Bangalore’s Haniyur. Tracking the birds over consecutive weeks leads them to another sighting, of two pairs in quick succession. Road widening and development projects have meant that the bird, once spotted in other areas of Bangalore, is less visible now.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Oversized beaks often decorated with large casques and unusual breeding habits make hornbills truly fascinating. <br /><br />They have been known to mankind for a long time and feature in many ancient customs and myths. In ancient Rome, they were known as Rhinoceros birds. Their distinctive beaks and casques have resulted in their skulls being used in ceremonial head gear. <br /><br />For centuries, the tribal Nyishi people of Arunachal Pradesh have worn the magnificent beaks of hornbills (their state bird) as part of their traditional headgear called pudum, considered a sign of manhood and tribal identity, now replaced with artificial gear, aimed at conserving the bird. <br /><br />There are 54 species of hornbills in the world (75 per cent of the 54 species are forest dwellers). Nine species of these large birds are found in India. As far as Bangalore is concerned, the bird was recorded in Lalbagh and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in the past, according to veteran birder Abraham Verghese. <br /><br />There have been reports of sighting grey hornbills on large avenue trees along the Mysore road earlier, but that is no longer the case, owing to road widening projects. Considering their fragile existence and many threats posed to their survival, a large-scale monitoring of these birds needs to be undertaken in the region.<br /><br />We spotted a pair of Indian grey hornbills, Ocyceros birostris, was spotted on the branches of the bug weed, Solanum mauritianum, off the main road in Haniyur, Bangalore north taluk, Bangalore urban district, last month. As soon as we spotted the pair on a tree a few feet from the road, we stopped, and without much noise, observed the pair to confirm their species identity and photograph them immediately. <br /><br />As we took out our camera, the pair sensed our presence and started their characteristic flip-flopping from tree top to tree top before disappearing into the adjacent thicket. <br />Desperate, but taking care not to pose any threat and disturbance in compliance with the code of bird watching, we sat on a stone slab by the road side, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ashy hornbills resting on a branch, but in vain. <br /><br />The pair moved swiftly and escaped into the adjacent thicket. In our continued quest to watch the birds, we reached our destination the next weekend and interacted with senior residents of the village. The villagers were of the opinion that the area has seen this species for the last four decades and that pea fowl were a recent entry. The birds have been spotted more often in pairs and known for their squealing vocalisations, which helps in detecting their presence easily. <br /><br />Bird diversity<br /><br />A wide avian diversity showcased itself, with three pea hens taking off from an agricultural field into a thicket adjacent to the Haniyur lake. We recorded close to a dozen species of birds including the white browed bulbul, yellow-eyed babbler, redwattled lapwing, female cuckoo, common myna, oriental magpie robin, jungle myna, common kite, black drongo, grey Francolin, spotted dove, rose ringed parakeets and jungle crow. <br /><br />We decided to sit on a stone slab to locate the hornbills from where we left off last time when we spotted the pair. This time we cautiously watched the pair hidden in the rich foliage of the tamarind tree. As we drew closer to the tree for a picture, this time too, the pair flew to a nearby coconut tree. The landing of the bird on the palm leaf facilitated a wonderful picture of the avifauna with a prominent casque. Except the Southern ground hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri), almost all hornbills possess a casque. <br /><br />The villagers guided us to a nearby patch of trees consisting of jamun and mango. The visit to the mini grove opened up a new world; we located two more pairs in succession within the next 15 minutes. The monogamous birds are found in pairs or small groups. <br />The nesting season is April to June and the clutch varies from one to five white eggs. Indian grey hornbills usually nest in tree hollows on tall trees. <br /><br />The jamun trees were dominated by rose ringed parakeets. There are reports recorded of the grey hornbills removing and possibly preying on the chicks of rose-ringed parakeets. Other avifauna like myna, jungle crow and night jars, were recorded in the grove.<br /><br />The geographical distribution of the Indian grey hornbill is mainly on the plains up to about 2,000 feet. <br /><br />It is found from the foothills of the Himalayas southwards bounded on the west by the Indus system and the Gangetic delta on the east. It does not overlap much with the Malabar grey hornbill of the Western Ghats. <br /><br />We confirmed the existence of a small group of the distinctive Indian grey hornbills birds through our observations. Our bird watching coincided with the breeding season extending from April to June. <br /><br />The jamun grove for nesting and scrub thickets to forage seem to have favoured the hornbill’s choice to nest in the area. They need to be monitored as they are known to have highly restricted geographic ranges with specialised requirements. <br /><br />Many conservationists emphasise the need to include the birds in the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act.</p>
