BREEDING, NESTING BEHAVIOUR AND INCARCERATION OF FEMALE HORNBILL (Ocyceros birostris) IN CHANDIGARH, INDIA

The hornbills are one of its own kind unique birds and play a very important role in seed dispersal. As per research 54 species of Hornbills have been found in the world and nine species in India. They are found in most parts of India, from the foothills of Himalayas to the Indian peninsula in the south being absent in western India and north-eastern India. It is the State bird of Union Territory of Chandigarh, India. The present paper deals with the nest monitoring of this bird during September, 2015 to August, 2016 in Union Territory of Chandigarh, India. The nests were found to be cup shaped, round, or oblong. In this study, the maximum number of nests, [12], was seen on Silver oak (Grewelia robusta). Three nests were found on the Safeda tree (Euclyptus citriodora), and one was seen on the Neem (Azardirachta indica). This study gave us an insight into the breeding and mating pattern of this particular bird. Their activities were videographed as well as photographed. From this study we gathered information about this bird’s type of eggs, incarceration abilities, sanitation of nest and selection of trees for nesting. This paper deals with nest monitoring because it provides information about nesting behavior, habitat selection and nest predation of this bird.