An ornithologist said that normally, the female hornbill remains in the cavity nest during incubation. The male feeds the female during this period, and the latter leaves the nest only when the young start fledgling. In the morning of April 28, the male hornbill was found in distress at Thuri Palam, around two kilometres from Kallar near Mettupalayam. According to the Forest Department, the locals found the hornbill cornered by macaques near a ficus tree and informed the authorities. “Photographers have been trying to document the breeding of the great hornbill pair at the farm, as the nest was outside the forest and easily accessible,” said a nature enthusiast from Mettupalayam.

Source: The Hindu May 02, 2023 10:01 UTC