For the fourth year in a row, Indian grey hornbills have bred successfully in Gujarat’s Gir landscape. It is a milestone that represents much more than the return of a single bird.

The species had vanished from Gir sometime between the 1950s and 1960s. Today, after a carefully planned reintroduction programme, the hornbills are nesting, raising chicks and establishing territories once again. Around 40 birds were released in phases between 2021 and 2023, and scientists now say the population is showing signs of becoming self-sustaining.

For conservationists, this is a reason to celebrate.

For the rest of us, it is also a reminder that some birds reveal the health of an entire forest. Hornbills are among them. If they are growing, chances are the forest is too.

A bird that refuses to settle for less

Unlike many birds that can adapt to fragmented landscapes, hornbills are incredibly choosy about where they live.

They need mature forests with giant native trees. They need tree cavities large enough for nesting. They need fruiting trees that produce food across different seasons. Most importantly, they need forests that have remained connected over large areas.

Take away any one of these ingredients, and hornbills struggle.

That is why scientists describe them as indicator species. Their presence tells researchers that a forest still has the structure, diversity, and ecological balance needed to support a wide range of wildlife.

The Gir reintroduction worked not only because birds were released into the wild. Years of habitat restoration, protection, and monitoring made sure the landscape could once again support them.

The birds that plant tomorrow’s forests

Hornbills are sometimes called the ‘farmers of the forest’.

The title is well........

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