Hornbill Festival

Great Hornbill

• Scientific name – Buceros bicornis, also known as Great Pied Hornbill.

• Appearance - The great hornbill is a large, distinctive bird with a large yellow and black casque on its bill, contrasting black wings and tail with a white body, and bright yellow eyes.
• Size - It is a large bird, measuring approximately 95–130 cm in length and weighing 2–4 kg.
• Habitat - Hornbills prefer tall trees for their nests and has mutualism between them.
• Range - Found in the Himalayan foothills, the Northeast and the Western Ghats.
• Diet - It is predominantly a fruit-eater but also preys on small animals, has a heavy, loud flight.
• Nesting - It exhibits a unique nesting behavior where the female seals herself in a tree cavity during incubation.
• Ecological significance - They play a vital role in dispersing the seeds of about 80 rainforest trees.
• Threats - Illegal logging, hunting.
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN – Vulnerable.
  • CITES - Appendix I.
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 – Schedule I.

The Great Indian Hornbill is the State bird of both Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh.