Grey Hornbills at home in Gir landscape after over 60 years
Gandhinagar: After successfully achieving a milestone in the conservation of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard, with the second chick hatched through the "jump-start" technique surviving beyond the critical 40-day period, the Gujarat Forest Department has now recorded another conservation success with the recovery of the Indian Grey Hornbill population in the Gir forests through a pioneering species reintroduction programme.
The Indian Grey Hornbill - Gujarat's only hornbill species - was common in the Gir landscape until the mid-1930s, particularly during winter. However, its population began declining in the 1950s and 1960s, with the last documented sighting in Gir recorded in 1950. While the species continues to inhabit the forests of southern and central Gujarat, it had long been considered locally extinct in Gir, though the exact reasons for its disappearance remain unknown. Reintroduced into the Gir landscape in 2021, the hornbills have successfully established territories, adapted to their new habitat and produced offspring.
The Indian Grey Hornbill - Gujarat's only hornbill species - was common in the Gir landscape until the mid-1930s, particularly during winter. However, its population began declining in the 1950s and 1960s, with the last documented sighting in Gir recorded in 1950. While the species continues to inhabit the forests of southern and central Gujarat, it had long been considered locally extinct in Gir, though the exact reasons for its disappearance remain unknown. Reintroduced into the Gir landscape in 2021, the hornbills have successfully established territories, adapted to their new habitat and produced offspring.
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