A reasonably frequent resident of Chandigarh, the Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) is, nevertheless, not a straightforward hen to identify. Nonetheless, there are just a few selective recorded sightings of the hen within the Inter State Chandigarh Area (ISCR) when an observant birdwatcher notices its presence.
Kamleshwar Singh, who has been in skilled images for the final 20 years in Chandigarh, says, “It was the primary time in my profession that I noticed the Oriental Pied Hornbill right here on Could 2. I used to be on a photograph project once I noticed it in Chandigarh Chicken Park, a home of unique birds saved in big cages.”
“It was the yellow beak of this hen, which was sitting on the excessive department of a tree, that caught my eye. It simply stayed lengthy sufficient for me to get two-three clicks with my digicam. Shortly after, it flew behind a kite which needed to sit down on the identical tree.”
In accordance with consultants, the lack of dense forests and rampant felling of bushes have pressured these birds to shift their base from one place to a different.
The Oriental Pied Hornbill, 55-60 cm in measurement, is a pied hornbill much like the species of Indian Gray Hornbill which is Chandigarh’s state hen. Sightings of the hen have been recorded at Panjab College (PU), PGI, Chandigarh Chicken Park, Morni Hills and Sukhna forest reserve.
Its excellent habitat contains forest, groves of mango bushes and parks. Total black in color, it has a particular white eye-patch, yellow invoice and a casque (discovered above the higher beak) which is flat from the entrance. It additionally has blue gular (throat) pores and skin, white stomach and outer tail feathers.
It’s not straightforward to tell apart men and women as each genders look the identical. Oriental Pied Hornbills breed in January and June and feed on wild fruits, bugs and shellfish. They like to remain within the cavities of bushes.
