The Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros griseus) is endemic to the Western Ghats and S.India. They have a large beak but lack the casque that is prominent in some other hornbills. They move around in small groups, feeding on figs and other forest fruits. Their loud cackling and laughing call makes them familiar to people living in the region. Being secondary cavity nesters (incapable of excavating their own nests), they find trees with large cavities.
The species is monogamous, and the same nest sites are used by the pair year after year. The female incarcerates herself within the cavity by sealing its entrance with a cement made from her droppings. The female then lays three or sometimes four white eggs and begins a complete moult of her flight feathers. The entrance to the nest retains a narrow aperture through which the female voids excreta and receives food from the male. The male brings all the food needed for the female and the young. (Wiki)
Shot in Coorg, September 2026.
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