LAHORE :
Sighting an Indian hornbill, a rare and nearly extinct bird, on a busy road
gave an exciting feeling and the first thought came to mind that this creature
is really living with us in the provincial metropolis.
An Indian
hornbill sitting on a big Jaman (jamul) tree on Canal Bank Road opposite GOR
attracted a number of motorists who parked their bikes and cars along the road
to sight the unusual and unexpected appearance of the bird. The bird, probably
a male one, was sitting on a branch of a big tree and a nearby hole in the
trunk suggesting that it was his home.
Rapid
urbanisation of the provincial capital has emptied the skies and presently the
most commonly seen birds in the city including common house sparrows, pigeons,
bulbuls, doves, mynas, crows and kites.
According
to WWF-Pakistan, grey hornbill is termed ‘species of concern’ as their numbers
are rapidly declining. Environmental experts said a bird survey done in 1965
revealed that 240 bird species live in Lahore while another survey in 1992
revealed that out of 240 species, only 101 bird species remained and recent
individual surveys revealed that only 30 to 50 species were living in Lahore.
Experts
said female Indian grey hornbill (Ocyceros
birostris) sits on eggs and the male bird gives her pellets of mud with
which she seals herself into the cavity along with her excreta, so that only
her beak came outside and the male flies to and fro, feeding her through the
incubation period. They said open hole suggested that there were no eggs in it.
This
scribe also stood by the tree and watched the rare sight. It was very
heartening to feel that Indian grey hornbill is still being found in this
overcrowded city, especially on one of its busiest roads. Bird experts in the
city said that the Indian grey hornbill was one of the native birds of Lahore
but with time their population is reduced a lot and not only a few pair of the
birds lives in the city.
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