Close to 90 years after they vanished from the Gir forest, the Indian grey hornbill (IGH) is now being reintroduced in the largest contiguous forest tract in western India by the Gujarat Forest Department.
The department has released 20 IGHs in Gir in recent months, in three batches, after trapping and capturing them from northern Gujarat, where they are resident birds, said Mohan Ram, deputy conservator of forests (DCF), Sasan wildlife division.
Gujarat is known for its abundance of avian species; of over 1,200 bird species found in India, around 600 occur in Gujarat. And over 300 species of birds are found in Gir alone, Ram said. While 10 species of hornbills are found in the Indian subcontinent, IGH is the only species of hornbills found in Gujarat, he added. Almost 48% of the 62 species of hornbills across the globe are now threatened.
Ram, also the superintendent of Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (GNPWL), said the first batch of four hornbills was released on October 28, 2021, followed by a second batch of five on December 27. The third set of 11 hornbills was released on Thursday (February 24) on the birth anniversary of late ornithologist Lavkumar Khachar.
“Historically, the IGH was not an uncommon species in Gir and was specifically plentiful during the months of winter. In Gir, the presence of IGH was recorded till 1936, and after that there were rare records of sporadic sightings in or around Gir. Ornithologist R.S. Dharmakumarsinhji had suggested reintroducing the IGH in Gir, since these birds play a pivotal role in the forest ecosystem,” the sanctuary superintendent said.
The DCF said that before releasing them, one male IGH from each of the first two batches and two males from the third batch were tagged with solar-powered satellite gags connected to a high-tech monitoring unit located in Sasan. Ram said that the third batch of 11 hornbills were released in the Gir forest after the success of the previous two batches.
“The work may bring back an important forest bird species to Gir after many decades. The satellite tagging will help to understand their ecology and movement in the area. It will also generate immense data, which will serve as a baseline for the conservation of the IGH in the Gir landscape,” Ram said, pointing out that this will be a baseline study in understanding the ecology of the species.
One of the tagged hornbills has been named after Dharmakumarsinhji, the late royal of the erstwhile princely state of Bhavnagar and a renowned ornithologist, while the other has been named LK in honour of the late Khachar, who belonged to the royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Jasdan in present-day Rajkot district.
The exercise is being carried out under the guidance of Shyamal Tikadar, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) and chief wildlife warden of Gujarat, and Dushyant Vasavada, chief conservator of forests of Junagadh wildlife circle under which Gir sanctuary falls. Corbett Foundation deputy director Devesh Gadhvi and his team are assisting the project with technical expertise.
