The Malabar Gray Hornbill

The Malabar Gray Hornbill (Ocyceros griseus ), the smallest Oriental hornbill species, is confined to wet forests of the Western Ghats mountains in India. The species is distributed from about Nashik, Maharashtra, in the north, to the Kanniyakumari and Agasthyamalai hills at the southern tip of the peninsula The bird mainly eats fruits of a variety of tree, liana, and shrub species, including a variety of figs (Ficus sp.) and lipid-rich fruits, along with animal matter. They are monogamous and breed between February and May, occupying cavity nests on large trees. Cavities are formed mainly by wood rot. The female enters the nest and seals the cavity opening with her droppings forming a seal with a slit-like opening through which the male feeds her for nearly twelve weeks. Female molts her flight feathers and rectrices sequentially in the nest. The male feeds the female and chick (typically single); the female emerges almost simultaneously with the chick