Because of the coronavirus, everything is shut, including the neighbourhood shops. In front of one such shop a pair of hornbills sat chatting away. The scene was spotted in Siliguri, India, where the two birds sat happily before a shop with its shutter down.

Surprising as it is, it is true. Seeing this bird, which likes to live in deep forest, out in public is astonishing enough, and the two sat there contentedly talking, with no one to disturb them. Perhaps it is one of the benefits of the lockdown.

Ornithologists say it is a Palawan hornbill, called "talusi" in the Philippine language. The bird grows to 28 inches long and lives in forests. Its wings are entirely black and its tail white. Its upper parts carry a glossy dark green sheen. The beak is cream-coloured, with a casque on top, and the bird can call very loudly.

In Bengali this bird is called "dhanesh". It belongs to the family Bucerotidae. Most hornbills live mainly in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and the Pacific islands. The main feature of a hornbill is its huge, brightly coloured, downward-curved beak, which usually has a growth on top.

The female lays her eggs in a tree hollow and then, with the male's help, incubates them and raises the chicks. During that time she does not leave the nest; the male gathers food and feeds it into the female's mouth, which keeps the young safe from various predators.

She stays close until the chicks learn to fly. Their main food ranges from fruit to small animals. Hornbills like to live in pairs, which is why a pair turned up even in a built-up area. Some hornbill species are now at risk of extinction and have been declared endangered.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.