Hello friends, we started New Year with the hope
that at some point in time this virus will take a halt but it is not, the different waves
are shaking the world like anything. It seems this is going to be part of life
hence vaccination and precaution play a critical role, we have seen that due to
vaccination this wave is not dangerous as the previous one. Please ensure we are
fully vaccinated to save ourselves from any unexpected situation.
The bill
Yes, today
presenting the story of the Bill, the big bill that is none other than Hornbill. We
are familiar with Hornbill but not sure how many of you know that there are different
types of Hornbills and they differ in their behavior as well as habits.
The reason for bringing the hornbill story is due to a recent experience with Malabar Hornbill at Old Magazine House. While deciding the topic for the day I thought let me share this unique experience with you. The story is about how such a big bird
eats small insects. Even though insects are very small but may turn life-threatening
if it is not taken up properly, today’s story is on the same line; let me
update you on what I observed with hornbill so when next time you decide to eat insect then you know how to eat 😆😆
The story is about a great experience at OMH (Old
Magazine House), one afternoon I was taking a walk to search if I get
anything. Suddenly we saw
Malabar grey in front of us with something in its bill it was nothing but a caterpillar. The main highlight of the sighting was a method of eating rather I would
say the style of eating. It was rubbing the caterpillar on the tree multiple times to
ensure that it could remove bristles before eating. These bristles/spikes of
caterpillar may be toxic and may not be smooth for eating hence birds like hornbill
ensures that bristles are removed prior to eating. This was a unique
experience, you can check the DSLR section to experience the same. After this unique
behavior let us see what all qualities this bird is having
The great Characters
The Malabar grey hornbill (Ocyceros griseus) is a hornbill endemic to the Western
Ghats and associated hills of southern India
Some local names are - Dhanesh in Marathi, Kaldal hakki in Kannada,
Sholai kaka in Tamil, meaning forest crow, Kozhi vezhambal in Malayalam
It lacks the casque typical of
Hornbills. Its beak is quite long, slightly curved, and yellow
Males have an orange bill with a
yellow tip and a black stripe, while females have a pale yellow bill
The tail is black, tipped with white
at the bottom. White broad supercilium above eye running from head to hindneck, whitish streaks on head, crest, throat, and upper breast
The Malabar grey hornbill female lays
three to four eggs during the breeding season and stays inside the nest after
blocking the entrance, while the Malabar grey hornbill male gets food to the
nest. The same nest is reused by the pair year after year
This bird species is known not to use
its voice when the male brings food to the nest while the female is confined
inside. The male taps the tree to alert her of his presence
The diet includes berries, figs,
insects, small rodents, and reptiles are included in the diet. Typically, the
male and female both search for food and prey, but when the female begins
nesting in seclusion, the responsibility of feeding her and the young ones
falls on the male
The process of seed dispersion knows them as the
gardeners of forests because of their essential contribution
See so many qualities this bird is having,
whenever you visit any forest do observe and see if you find this bird around
I hope you liked magical vernal, keep
blessing and keep motivating me to deliver unique stuff, do let me know your
feedback on btwildart@gmail.com
BT Wild Art
DSLR Section
Very informative
ReplyDeleteThank u
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