Great Indian hornbill

The Indian hornbill also called the Great Indian hornbill is found in the Indian subcontinent and in South East Asia. It is declared as a threatened species. Due to it beautiful coloured feather it is an important part in tribal culture. It most live in high rainfall areas where there are plenty of food. Other it far cousin, the toucan it had a horn type crest on it head. There is a black marking in it face and wings. It huge yellow coloured beak help it pick fruit from the branches.

      Hornbill are omnivorous birds, they feed both on flesh and fruit. They mostly feed on fruits, seeds do it is called a fruitivorous birds. Fleshy fruits are it favourite. It had a punch under it neck which help it stores seed and bring it to there nest. They spend a lot of time finding food. They can fly to 5 km in search of food. Hornbill also hunts small lizards and mammals.

     Hornbills mate during the spring season (January to April). They went in search of a
hollow in trees. If the hornbill doesn't find any hollow it would make it next in checks in mountains or hills. The female went inside the hollow. Both of them bring leaves to make the nest soft. When the best is prepared the female lay eggs and sealed the opening with mud and it own waste. The female left a small opening through which she could take food. The male moves in search of food and brings it to the female. The female take out it beak, to take the food. In this process the female hornbill loses all it feathers. When the babies get young enough, the male break the wall with it beak. Both the parents taught the babies how to fly and look for food. When they became independent the parents left them on their own.

      Hornbills are found all over the South East Asia. In India, Great hornbill are found mainly in the western ghat and the Himalayas. In the western ghat apart from this hornbill another hornbill called the Malabar hornbill is also found. In the Himalayas there are rufous necked hornbill. Hornbill prefers places with high rainfall and plenty of food. They mainly lives in tropical rainforest but some are also found in deciduous forest and grasslands. They prefer to live in the canopy of trees.

   The major threat to the Indian hornbill is the rapid cutting down of trees. Hornbills prefer dense forest which are now use in manufacturing furniture and firewood. In tribal culture, young people of the tribe has a tradition of wearing hornbill beak or feather. Sometimes local people hunt these bird. It get more worse when the male is searching food for the female during breeding, as if the male die the whole family would die out.

  To protect Indian hornbill from danger many tropical forested area are declared as protected area. Awareness programs are going on in western ghats, so that local people could know their importance. Artificial beak are provided to tribal man. Hornbill which are raise in captivity are use to supply the feather demand by tribals.

  Why does they matter? 

  

     Hornbills are important for the forest ecosystem. They play a major role in forest development. Many kinds of seed can only germinate when they passes through the hornbill stomach. Where ever this giant bird fly it scatters the seed from it excreta. The hornbills also beutifies the canopy region.