Indian Grey Hornbill : Distinctive bird of India with massive bill
Indian Grey Hornbills
· As the name indicates ‘ Indian Grey Hornbill’ is a specific bird of India which is normally found throughout the country but widespread resident of Indian plains in states such as Punjab ' Bihar , Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka etc.
· India is home to a number of other species of Hornbills such as Great Hornbill (found in Western Ghats, North-east & Eastern Himalayas), Rufous-necked Hornbill ( found in Eastern Himalayas & North-east),Wreathed Hornbill (found in Eastern Himalayas foothills, North-east) etc. But Indian Grey Hornbills are found throughout India except some parts of Rajasthan, Western Ghats and North – east.
Salient features of Indian Grey Hornbill:
· It is a medium-sized beautiful bird with massive bills which is a mix of yellow and dark grey colours.
· It has primarily grey coloured body, white-tipped tail, black patches adjoining eyes & white underparts.
· Its flight is powerful and slow. It flaps wings for sometimes followed by gliding. Tails are very long which help in flying and gliding. The wing beats make a distinctive loud puffing sound.
· Usually found in pairs or small groups. They normally fly one after another in a sequence.
· Their calls include a loud cackling k-k-k-ka-e and rapid piping pi-pi-pi-pi pipipieu - pipipieu.
· It is arboreal and usually found in the treetops. They normally fly tree – to - tree and seldom move on the ground. Open forest and wooded areas are their natural habitats. They mainly feed on wild figs, berries and insects.
Indian Grey Hornbills
· Its scientific name is ‘Ocycerous birostris’ and belongs to ‘Bucerotidae’ family.
· Its Hindi name is ‘Dhanesh’.
· It is state bird of Chandigarh.
Video of Indian Grey Hornbills
# Indian Grey Hornbills are very active bird which keep flying from tree to tree and easily camouflage themselves within trees due to predominant grey colour.
Enjoy the beauty of Nature and unique creation of God.
Comments