Indian Grey Hornbill - Banas Bird Watcher

(Balaram Forest, Banaskantha, Gujarat)

This appears to be an Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris).

Deesa Bird Watchers Team – Captured by Dr. Sureshbhai

Identification features visible in your photo:

✔️ Long, slightly curved bill with a prominent casque, characteristic of hornbills.
✔️ Grey body with a lighter grey to whitish underparts.
✔️ Long tail with a broad white terminal band.
✔️ Adult carrying food in its beak, indicating it is feeding its mate or chicks.
✔️ Nest located inside a natural cavity of an old tree, a typical hornbill nesting site.
✔️ Hornbills are unique cavity nesters—the female seals herself inside the tree cavity during incubation, leaving only a narrow slit through which the male delivers food.

About the species:

English name: Indian Grey Hornbill
Scientific name: Ocyceros birostris
Family: Hornbills (Bucerotidae)
Length: About 60 cm
Diet: Fruits (especially figs), berries, insects, lizards, small reptiles, and occasionally small birds.
Habitat: Dry deciduous forests, woodland, agricultural landscapes, parks, and urban gardens across much of the Indian subcontinent.

Location: Balaram Forest, Banaskantha, Gujarat, India.