Dispatches

Great Indian horbill and its habitat

Majestic denizen of the forests of India

G. Shaheed Photographs by Shefiq Basheer Ahammed

 

The male Great Indian hornbill in glide mode. Photo: Shefiq Basheer Ahammed
The hornbill at dusk. Photo: Shefiq Basheer Ahammed
The hornbill, captivating in flight. Photo: Shefiq Basheer Ahammed
In this spur-of-the-moment shot, the hornbill looks like a martial arts maestro warding off an attacker. Photo: Shefiq BasheerAhammed
The hornbill’s wingbeats are loud and can be heard from a distance. Photo: Shefiq Basheer Ahammed
Its yellow horn-shaped bill, with a yellow casque on top of it, are distinctive. Photo: Shefiq Basheer Ahammed
The Nelliyampathy forest. The photographer has encountered a few male great Indian hornbills in the lush green hilly tracts of Valparai (Tamil Nadu) and Nelliampathy (Kerala), which are both hornbill habitats in the Western Ghats. Photo: Shefiq Basheer Ahammed
Valparai. The photographer has encountered a few male great Indian hornbills in the lush green hilly tracts of Valparai (Tamil Nadu) and Nelliampathy (Kerala), which are both hornbill habitats in the Western Ghats. Photo: Shefiq BasheerAhammed
A lion-tailed macque. Photo: Shefiq Basheer Ahammed ??
In Valparai, a haven for lion-tailed macques. Photo: Shefiq Basheer Ahammed
Lion-tailed macques in Valparai, Tamil Nadu. Photo: Shefiq Basheer Ahammed ??
Hornbills need tall trees for nesting. Photo: Shefiq Basheer Ahammed