Great Hornbill


 How many of you know what the state bird of Kerala is? It is the Great Hornbill, the beauty who is my subject for today's article....but, before we go into detail about this bird, I sincerely apologise for not being able to post for more than a month, so anyway, let's get started!


The great Hornbill is known by multiple names all over the country, such as "Malamuzhakki Vezhambal" in Kerala, "Raj Dhanesh" in West Bengal and "Homrai" or "Banrao" in the Himalayan region.

It is a peculiar beauty with a black body, whitish tail and underwings and its iconic horny yellow beak, from which it got its name. Its unique appearence and strange habits have also got it associated with a few myths.

 In Nagaland, the people there believe that the Hornbill was created when a sad and orphaned boy, abused by his stepmother, was pursued by a young girl. Even though the girl wanted to improve his way of living, he didn't desire any pity and so borrowed a set of black clothes from her and putting a bottle to his mouth, climbed high up on a tree and turned into the Great Hornbill. It is said that the boy promised to return every year, which is why the Nagas celebrate their famous "Hornbill Festival". 

Now let me tell you some of its habits:                    These birds usually live in naturally made holes in the trunks of thick trees. After making a nest using mud, the female settles in the nest where the male bird brings her their usual diet of fruit, small mammals, reptiles, birds and insects. After the eggs are laid, the hole remains sealed by mud until the fledglings are much older and the nest is layered with hay. Apart from India, these birds are found all over South -eastern Asia and other Hornbill species in Africa.


I hope you enjoyed today's article and always remember to look for these birds near their forests to show them that they will always stay in our hearts.

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