Malabar Grey Hornbill

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