Hornbills too on the verge of extinction

Hornbills are important flagships of the tropical Asian forests and their ecological importance as seed dispersers is well known. These magnificent birds with specialised nesting and feeding habits are threatened due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and hunting.



The Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in India is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation due to deforestation for timber, plantation and buildings

Hornbills are a group of peculiar, large-bodied birds found only in the 'Old World tropics' that have been the focus of much conservation attention. Of the 54 species of hornbills known from the world nine occur within India and four occur in the Western Ghats:Malabar Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros coronatus and Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris (endemic to Indian subcontinent), Malabar Grey Hornbill Ocyceros griseus

(endemic to Western Ghats), and the Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis.
(Indebted to M. Divya and S. Raman, NCF)

Will continue.....