Avian drama grips Delhi’s Lodhi Garden
A female Oriental pied hornbill is feeding Indian grey hornbill chicks at Lodhi Garden, creating a unique situation of adoption and conflict. This unusual behavior has drawn the attention of birders, who are observing the interactions between the two species. The situation escalated with reports of infanticide, raising questions about the pied hornbill's intentions and behavior.
- ▪A female Oriental pied hornbill is feeding chicks of the resident Indian grey hornbill family.
- ▪The pied hornbill is not native to Delhi and is believed to be an escapee or a wandering vagrant.
- ▪Observers witnessed the pied hornbill attempting to offer a dead grey hornbill chick to the nesting mother, which was rejected.
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Avian drama grips Delhi’s Lodhi GardenIn Lodhi Garden, a female Oriental pied hornbill is feeding Indian grey hornbill chicks, leading to a bizarre drama of adoption and conflict.Published on: May 17, 2026 3:06 AM ISTBy Jasjeev GandhiokShare viaCopy link Every morning at Lodhi Garden, beneath an ageing semal tree, a strange domestic drama is unfolding between hornbills that do not quite belong together.One of the grey hornbills. (Courtesy: Nikhil Devasar)There is the resident Indian grey hornbill family — a species common to Delhi — nesting inside a tree cavity.
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