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A rare oriental hornbill has turned up in the capital's sprawling Lodhi Garden... and it appears to be helping raise another bird's chicks! Following this saga, WWF India is launching the Delhi Hornbill Nest Monitoring Project. This is a two-month-long citizen science initiative to observe and document the nesting behaviour of the Oriental Pied Hornbill.
Who's volunteering?
Avid joggers, flamboyant picnickers and heritage walkers. Basically, any Delhi summer resident can join the programme. The first orientation was held on June 6. By June 9, the first batch of citizen volunteers was out in the field. You can still join, though. Log in to the volunteer portal of WWF India and fill in details about how much time you can give to the project per week (the minimum is four hours).
The project concludes on July 31, by which time Delhi's expected to have enough data on the hornbill's nesting success and cavity use, along with some nerdy facts on other cavity-dependent wildlife. All you need is an interest in birds and nature, however newfound, plus some basic bird-identification skills. You could always ask around and train yourself.
The best way to observe the hornbill
Carry your binoculars, a water bottle and a cap. And wear comfortable shoes. A tiny advisory: They don't bother you, and you don't bother them back. Meaning: no playback calls, no flash photography, and maintain a safe distance from nests.
Passionate birdwatchers are keeping the exact nest location discreet to avoid disturbing the hornbill. If you're keen, step out in the early morning (around 5am to 8am), which is the best time to spot hornbill activity.
Since you're visiting the website, check out WWF's other programmes across India on plantations, eco-films, rivers and more.
More on the star of the story
It's the Oriental Pied Hornbill, a striking black-and-white bird more commonly found in the forests of the Himalayan foothills and the Terai region. And not in the heart of the national capital. Yet, for weeks, one female hornbill has been visiting a nest occupied by an Indian Grey Hornbill and helping feed its chicks.
What's even stranger? The bird doing the feeding is a female.
For those unfamiliar with hornbill life cycles, here's why that's unusual. During nesting season, female hornbills seal themselves inside tree cavities using mud and debris, leaving only a narrow slit through which food can be passed. They cannot get out. The male typically takes on food-delivery duties, bringing fruit, insects and other treats to the mother and chicks.
That's why seeing an unrelated female of a different species effectively volunteering as a food courier has surprised birders. The visiting hornbill has reportedly been delivering berries, eggs, snails and other food items to the nest. On one occasion, wildlife photographers even captured it bringing a small bird and carefully pushing it through the opening.
What further adds to the mystery is that Oriental Pied Hornbills are not normally found in Delhi. Was it a captive bird? Did it migrate? Or are natural patterns changing? What happens next is anyone's guess. Meanwhile, the chicks are growing up in Lodhi Garden.
The hornbill episode is a reminder that Delhi's green spaces are still full of surprises. Despite its reputation for traffic and apocalyptic summer temperatures, the capital supports a couple of hundred recorded bird species.