Hornbills of North Bengal

An information booklet about the found in North Bengal. Index

Team members 02

Introduction 03

Hornbill facts 04 Breeding biology of hornbills Photo: Aparajita Datta 05 Diet 06 23 roosting 07 Predators 24 North Bengal hornbills 08 Mortality at nests 25 09 Table 1: List of hornbill nest 12 from and North Bengal 15 26 Rufous-necked hornbill 18 Table 2: List of hornbill food from Arunachal Pradesh Competition for nests and North Bengal 21 28

Hornbill diet Acknowledgement 22 36 (Cover Photo: WH – Aparajita Datta; RNH – Anmol Rai; GH and OPH – Arjajyoti Shome) 1 Introduction

Nature Mates-Nature Club community members to enable a (NMNC), Kolkata in long-term hornbill monitoring and collaboration with Nature protection program. Conservation Foundation (NCF), Mysore initiated the North Bengal In Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary hornbill project from November and Neora Valley National Park 2017 onwards. an occupancy framework-based survey was conducted in Team members In , Nature November 2018 – February 2019. Mates & NCF have been engaged in studying the breeding biology NCF has been working for over of four sympatric hornbill species, two decades on hornbill Nature Mates-Nature Club: Mr Arjan Basu Roy, Principal conducting an occupancy survey conservation and research, Investigator; Ms Devsena Roychaudhury; Mr Arkajyoti Shome to understand the distribution / partnering with local (Researcher at Buxa TR from Nov 2017 – June 2019); Mr Dollar abundance of hornbills through communities and the forest Ganguly, Researcher; Mr Sitaram Mahato, Field Assistant; Mr field surveys and monitoring department in the North-east and Kezajacho Dukpa, Field Assistant. hornbill roost sites. Along with Western Ghat landscapes of . Nature Conservation Foundation: Dr. Aparajita Datta, Senior this, the project is also exploring Some of the information in this Scientist; Dr. Rohit Naniwadekar, Senior Scientist; Ms Karishma opportunities for partnership with brochure has been extracted from Pradhan, Project Co-ordinator. the Forest Department, Tourist NCF’s ongoing hornbill research Guides Association and local in Arunachal Pradesh and .

2 3 Hornbill facts Breeding biology of hornbills

• Large bills, often with horn-like structures on top called casques • Hornbills nest in already existing cavities of large • Distinctive calls, often harsh, loud or noisy • They cannot make or build their own cavity. Therefore, they are • Prominent long eyelashes called secondary cavity-nesters • Loud wing beats of some large hornbills like the Great and • Hornbills also exhibit site fidelity. Most pairs re-use the same Wreathed hornbill cavity in the next breeding season • Known as “farmers of the forest” for their ability to disperse • The pair selects a nest and cleans it together seeds over long distances • The female enters the cavity and seals herself by plastering the In India, there are nine species of hornbills. cavity opening mainly with her droppings, leaving only a tiny slit in the seal • The female lays within a few days to a week of entering the nest • The incubation period varies across hornbill species, but is estimated to be 40-55 days for the large-sized hornbills such as the Great and Wreathed hornbill

Artwork: Arjun Srivathsa

Photo: Karishma Pradhan 4 5 Artwork: Maya Ramaswamy

Artwork: Arjun Srivathsa • After the female seals herself, the male delivers food at the nest throughout the breeding season Hornbill roosting • For the Great hornbill, the female exits the cavity after three months in June, leaving the chick alone in the nest for another month • Hornbills gather in the evenings to roost together • For the Wreathed, Oriental Pied and Rufous-necked • They often roost along streams/rivers in open habitat on hornbills, the mother and chick may exit together or the chick may riverside trees exit 1 or 2 days later • Social interactions between individuals are observed at roost • The nesting duration: the period from female entry till the chick sites fledging varies from 3 to 4 months depending on the hornbill • Occasionally, individuals of different species may also roost species together. This is called communal roosting

Diet

• Asian forest hornbills mainly eat fruits: 90-95% of their diet • Figs are a significant part of their fruit diet but they also feed on other non-fig fruits • Hornbills also feed on variety of insects, crabs, lizards and snakes, amphibians, and eggs of other birds Photo: Aparajita Datta 6 7 North Bengal Hornbills Great hornbill

Five species of hornbills are found limit for two species –Wreathed Scientific name: flight. The wing edges are tipped in North Bengal (the and the Rufous-necked bicornis with whiteMale: red eyes with hornbill, the Great hornbill the hornbill. Apart from the Oriental black skin around the eyes. Wreathed hornbill, the Pied hornbill which is listed as Local names: Female: white eyes with red skin Oriental Pied hornbill and the ‘Least Concern’ by the IUCN Red Bengali: Dhanesh; around the eyes. Rufous-necked hornbill), with the List, all the other three species Nepali: Hongrayo; Dukpa: Ghora last four species found in . found in forests of North Bengal - Call: It has a loud call that The Indian grey hornbill is found Great hornbill, Wreathed Identifying sounds like kok-kok. When this in rural landscapes and near hornbill and Rufous-necked characteristics: This flies, the flapping of the villages and towns. hornbill- are listed as ‘Vulnerable’ hornbill has a large yellow wings can also be heard from a North Bengal forms the in the IUCN’s Red List of and a large on top of its distance. westernmost distributional . upper beak. It has a white tail with a horizontal black band. The male has red eyes with black skin around the eyes. The female has white eyes with red skin around the eyes. The male also has black colour between the casque and beak, and behind the casque. The female has a red colour behind the casque. Its white tail with a horizontal black band, and its white neck and wing bars, are striking in Buxa Tiger reserve landscape. Photo: Kabir Pradhan Artwork: Arjun Srivathsa 8 9 Size: It is the largest among Best places for Asian hornbills and weighs over 3 sightings in North kg. 2.1-3.9 kg; 112-150 cm Bengal: Lower to mid-elevation areas in Breeding biology: and around Buxa TR, Gorumara Pre-breeding (nest searching and WS and Mahananda WS. courtship): January – February. During the non-breeding season in winter, sightings are also A Great hornbill chick’s first look outside the nest Photo: Karishma Pradhan Nest entry and sealing by reported from areas around female: Last week of Darjeeling and Kalimpong. February to March (February 27 – 6 March in Buxa Tiger Reserve).

Left: Female, Right: Male Female emergence: Three months Artwork: Saniya Chaplod after female entry (May 25 – June 11 in Buxa Tiger Reserve). Distribution: A Great hornbill chick on the day of chick Chick fledging: About four In India: rainforests of the Western fledging Photo: Karishma Pradhan months after female entry Ghats, the rainforests of north-east (June 21 – 3 July in Buxa Tiger India, and along the lower Reserve). Himalayan mountains of north Bengal and Uttaranchal. , Total nesting duration: 103 – 137 , , , days (mean 121 days) in Pakke , , , Tiger Reserve and 114 – 117 days , parts of , (mean 115 days) in Buxa Tiger and , and some in Reserve. South-east .

10 11 Oriental Pied hornbill black; Female: Smaller bill and casque marked with black, red spot on lower mandible. Both have pale blue bare skin around Scientific name: Call: They are noisy and have a eyes. White on outer tail tips and albirostris cackling call that sounds like kek- trailing wing edges seen in flight. kek-kek-kek. Local names: Size: 500-900 gm; 60-85 cm. Bengali: Dhanesh; Nepali: Size: They are medium-sized Dhanesh hornbills, weight ranges from 500- Breeding biology Pre-breeding (courtship and nest 800 gm; 60-85 cm length. A pair of Oriental Pied hornbill Photo: NCF searching): January – March. Identifying Left: Female, Right: Male characteristics: A black and Male: Creamy bill with black base Nest entry and sealing by female: white coloured hornbill, with an on lower mandible, casque late March – early May (March 26 almost cylindrical casque that has cylindrical, projecting front part – May 8 in Pakke TR and April 12 – black marks on its tip. It has brown Distribution: April 18 in Buxa TR). In India: foothills of the Himalaya irises with light blue skin around in Uttaranchal, parts of them. It has a black tail with white Chick fledging: June - July (June Bihar, North Bengal and North- tips and pale blue throat patches 28 – July 27 in Pakke TR). east India. and circumorbital skin.

Total nesting duration: 76-110 Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Male and female are similar, but days (mean 94 days) in Pakke Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, females are smaller and have Tiger Reserve. There has been no Laos, Vietnam, parts of China and black markings at the tip of bill successful chick fledging till date Malaysia. and casque and a red spot on the from Buxa TR in both the years. lower mandible.

Artwork: Arjun Srivathsa 12 13 Best places for Wreathed hornbill sightings in North Bengal: Male: Chestnut-brown on the Lower elevation areas of Buxa TR, Scientific name: undulatus head with a yellow throat pouch. Mahananda WS and Female: black with a blue throat. Gorumara WS. Secondary forests Local names: Both have an incomplete black and sometimes near human An OPH chick after emerging from nest Bengali: Dhanesh; bar on their throat pouch. There habitation adjoining these forests. Photo: Vijay Tachang Nepali: Ghek bhako dhanesh are neat furrows or wreaths on the upper beak. Identifying characteristics: This large All juvenile birds look like males, hornbill is mostly black, with a fully if they are female, they change to white tail. The casque on the beak female colouration after 1-2 years. have neat furrows or wreaths.

The male is coloured chestnut -brown on the head, and has a bright yellow throat pouch. The female is coloured black and has a bright blue throat. Both have an incomplete black bar on their throat pouch.

This hornbill is mostly black, with a fully white tail.

Artwork: Arjun Srivathsa

14 15 Call: They have a call with three global range. notes that sounds like oek-uk-uk. Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, The flight of these birds can also Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, be heard from a distance. Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and some islands in Size: Average weight is about South-east Asia. 2.5 kg. Variation between sexes:1.4-3.6 kg; 84-117 cm. Best places for sightings in North Male Wreathed hornbill delivering a fruit of Chisocheton cumingianus at nest. Breeding biology: Bengal: Photo: Aparajita Datta Lower to mid-elevation forests of Pre-breeding behavior (courtship Left: Male, Right: female and nest searching): Artwork: Saniya Chaplod Buxa TR. January – February. Total nesting duration:118-142 Nest entry and sealing by female: days (mean 128 days) in Pakke March – early April (March 5 – TR. Nesting duration is not known April 10 in Pakke TR and March 20 from Buxa TR as either the entry – March 28 in Buxa TR). date or exit date is not known from any of the active nests of A Wreathed hornbill chick at a nest in . Photo: Khem Thapa Chick fledging: late July-early Wreathed hornbill in Buxa TR. August (July 18 - August 6 in Pakke TR and first week of August Distribution: In India: in Buxa TR – based on one known forested hills of north Bengal and exit date in Buxa TR). north-east India. North Bengal is the westernmost limit of their

16 17 Rufous-necked hornbill and nest searching): January – February.

Scientific name: Nest entry and sealing by female: Male: Rufous-brown on its head, Aceros nipalensis Usually in the last 2 weeks of April neck and breast. Female: fully (ranges from 22 March to 1 May) black. Local names: in Buxa TR. Bengali: Lal galla dhanesh; Call: Their call sounds like short Nepali: Kukur dhanesh, Raato Chick fledging: July – mid-August barks – “thok - thok”. khaley/ghek dhanesh; (19 July to 8 August in Buxa TR) Dukpa: Tekte Size: 2.3-2.5 kg; 99-122 cm. A Rufous-necked hornbill pair Total nesting duration: 99-121 Left: Female, Right: Male Identifying days in Buxa TR Photo: Parag Gurung characteristics: It gets its Breeding biology: Pre-breeding behavior (courtship name from the colour of the male, Distribution: which is rufous-brown on its head, In India: Himalayan foothills, north neck and breast. Bengal, Sikkim, eastwards to Arunachal Pradesh, and in the hills The skin on the throat pouch of Nagaland, Manipur and of both is red with a blue patch . The elevational range around each eye. Black ridges on where they are seen is usually the upper half of the beak and from 500 m up to 2500 m. no casque. Upper half of the tail A juvenile hornbill with its parents. The is black, while the lower part is Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, parts black ridges on the beak help estimate the white. of China and Vietnam. They are age of the hornbill believed to be extinct in Nepal. Photo: Anmol Rai

Artwork: Arjun Srivathsa 18 19 Best places for Competition for nests sightings in North Bengal: Hornbills cannot make or build their own cavities. Hornbills may Higher elevation areas of Buxa TR, also lose their cavity due to loss of nest tree during storms, felling Mahananda WS and Neora Valley of nest trees, shrinking of cavity, sinking of nest floor or N P. competition from other . The availability of suitable nesting cavities, thus, act as a limiting factor to the hornbill A Rufous-necked hornbill chick before population. fledging Photo: Parag Gurung

This often leads to intra and/or inter-specific competition between hornbill pairs during the breeding period.

In Buxa Tiger Reserve, a Great hornbill pair was observed disturbing a breeding Rufous-necked hornbill female and chick that were enclosed in the cavity.

In Pakke Tiger Reserve and the surrounding Reserve Forest, there are many instances of nest takeovers by different hornbill species which indicates inter-specific competition for limited nest sites.

A male Great hornbill at the cavity occupied by a breeding Rufous-necked hornbill female Photo: Sitaram Mahato 20 21 Hornbill diet Seed dispersal

Hornbills love to eat the ripe, soft fruits of many trees in the Hornbills are like the farmers of the forest, sowing seeds rainforest. Around 90-95% of the diet of the large Asian forest wherever they go. Our studies have documented that hornbills hornbills is fruits. The fruits that they eat are usually black, orange eat and disperse the seeds of around 100 tree species in Pakke or red in colour. They fly over large distances in search of food, and TR. Hornbills swallow the fruits whole, and regurgitate the seeds when they find fruits, they swallow them, eating only the flesh and unharmed away from parent fruiting trees. Hornbills were estimat- throwing out the big seeds, mostly unharmed. They also love fig ed to disperse 600-11,600 seeds per day per km2 in a study in fruits. The tiny seeds of figs are passed out in their droppings. Namdapha TR.

Our study in Buxa TR has shown that during the breeding The two larger hornbill species can disperse seeds as far as 10- season, the diet of the Great hornbill consists of 42% of figs, 47% 13 km. The large gape size of hornbills enables them to handle of non-fig fruits and 11% items. larger fruits compared to smaller birds, therefore, their role in seed dispersal, especially of large-seeded trees, is very critical in tropical forests.

A male Rufous-necked hornbill A male Great hornbill delivering Tokay delivering fruits at a nest in Latpanchar, a gecko at the nest village localed in the fringes of Photo: Karishma Pradhan Regurgitated seeds from below a Rufous-necked Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary hornbill nest. Photo: Debapratim Saha Photo: Anmol Rai

22 23 Predators Mortality at nests

Yellow-throated marten, binturong, and raptors are some known Apart from predation, there are other threats that increase the predators of hornbills. Occasionally, snakes are also known to prey chance of hornbill mortality during the breeding season. Some on hornbill eggs. During the breeding season, hornbills are more nest trees are known to fall during heavy storms with the female vulnerable to predation as the female and chick are imprisoned hornbill and chick still inside. Death of male hornbills (due to inside the cavity. poaching of the male) during the breeding season may lead to the abandoning of the nest by the female hornbill, posing a grave

In Pakke TR, a Yellow-throated marten was seen entering the cavity threat to the chick’s life. and preying upon on a Wreathed hornbill chick. The chick was preparing to emerge from the nest. In another instance, two In an unusual instance in Buxa TR, a female hornbill was seen stuck yellow-throated martens entered a Great hornbill nest and preyed at the cavity entrance – it appears her feet/claws had got stuck. She on the chick. was observed dead at the cavity while trying to emerge from the nest. This would also lead to chick mortality, since the chick would also be unable to exit the nest, as the cavity was blocked by the dead female. Poaching of nests during the breeding season is another major threat to the hornbill population. Once a hornbill nest is known to a poacher, hornbills nesting in that cavity are prone to getting poached every year.

A Crested Serpent eagle perched above an A Yellow-throated marten inside the active hornbill nest. The male GH Wreathed hornbill nest aggressively chased it away soon after. Photo: Khem Thapa and Tali Nabam A female hornbill found dead at the cavity opening, after 125 days of nesting. Photo: Kishan Das Photo: Sitaram Mahato 24 25 Table 1: List of hornbill nest tree species from Arunachal Pradesh and North Bengal

S.no Nest tree Hornbill species Location species

1 Tetrameles Datiscaceae GH, OPH, RNH, WH Buxa TR, nudiflora Latpanchar (fringes of Mahananda WS), Pakke TR 2 Schima Theaceae GH, RNH Buxa TR wallichi

3 Terminalia Combretaceae OPH Buxa TR Ailanthus grandis, is locally known as Tetrameles nudiflora, is locally called bellerica Gokul in North Bengal. A Great hornbill Moina in North Bengal. This species forms 4 Shorea Dipterocarpaceae RNH Buxa TR robusta pair has been nesting on this particular 47% of hornbill nest trees in Buxa TR and 5 Syzygium sp. Myrtaceae RNH Buxa TR tree for many years. This is also the second about 85-90% of nest trees in Pakke TR. 6 UNID species Lauraceae WH Buxa TR most common nest tree species in Pakke This tree species has been used by four Tiger Reserve. species of hornbills for nesting in BTR. 7 Ailanthus Simaroubaceae GH, OPH, RNH, WH Buxa TR, grandis Latpanchar (fringes Photo: Karishma Pradhan Photo: Karishma Pradhan of Mahananda WS), Pakke TR 8 Altingia Altingiaceae RNH Pakke TR/ Papum excelsa RF 9 Terminalia Combretaceae RNH Namdapha TR myriocarpa

Shorea robusta also popularly known as the Sal tree is a fairly common tree species found in the Himalayan foothills. The Sal tree is one of the dominating and important tree species of BTR. Photo: Sitaram Mahato

26 27 Table 2: List of hornbill food plants from Arunachal 15 Lauraceae - - Namdapha TR Pradesh and North Bengal petiolaris 16 Lauraceae Alseodaphne - - Pakke TR peduncularis Sno. Family species Bengali/ Hornbill Location Nepali name species observed 17 Lauraceae Beilschmeidia - RNH,WH Eaglenest assamica WLS, 1 Anacardiaceae Spondias - - Pakke TR (one Namdapha & pinnata feeding Pakke TR observation) 18 Lauraceae Beilschmiedia - RNH Namdapha & 2 Polyathia Lapche GH, WH, Buxa & Pakke roxburghiana Pakke TR simiarum RNH TR 19 Lauraceae Beilschmiedia - - Pakke TR 3 Annonaceae Polyalthia sp. 2 - - Pakke TR gammieana - 20 Lauraceae Beilschmeidia Jungli Jalpai GH, RNH Buxa TR, 4 Arecaceae Livistona - - Pakke TR sp. Latpanchar jenkinsiana 21 Lauraceae Cinnamommum - - Pakke TR 5 Bignoniaceae Oroxylum - OPH Pakke TR cecicodaphne indicum (once feeding on flowers) 22 Lauraceae Cinnamomum - - bejolghota 6 Burseraceae Canarium - - Pakke TR resiniferum 23 Lauraceae Cinnamomum - RNH Eaglenest WLS sp. 7 Burseraceae Canarium - GH, RNH, Namdapha TR strictum WH 24 Lauraceae Cryptocarya - RNH Eaglenest amygdalina WLS, Pakke TR 8 Burseraceae Canarium sp. Lohakat GH, RNH, Buxa TR, WH Latpanchar 25 Lauraceae Cryptocarya - RNH Eaglenest WLS 9 Elaeocarpaceae Elaeocarpus Rudraksh - Pakke & andersonii sphaericus Namdapha TR 26 Lauraceae Litsea - RNH Buxa & Pakke (two feeding panamonja TR observations) 27 Lauraceae Litsea chinensis - - Pakke TR 10 Elaeocarpaceae Sloanea - Buxa & Pakke sterculiaceae Bhalu katus TR 28 Lauraceae Litsea - - Pakke TR Gnetum ula 11 Gnetaceae - - Pakke TR monopetala 29 Lauraceae Litsea messnei - RNH Eaglenest WLS 12 Icacinaceae Platea latifolia - WH Pakke TR

30 Lauraceae Litsea salicifolia - RNH Eaglenest WLS 13 Lauraceae Actinodaphne - - Pakke TR (one angustifolia feeding observation) 31 Lauraceae Litsea cubeba - RNH Eaglenest WLS 14 Lauraceae Actinodaphne - - Buxa & Pakke obovata TR 32 Lauraceae Litsea assamica - RNH Eaglenest WLS

28 29 33 Lauraceae Litsea khasyana - RNH Eaglenest WLS 49 Dudhelali GH, RNH Buxa & Pakke gotadhora /Losonilali TR, 34 Lauraceae Litsea lancifolia - RNH Eaglenest WLS Eaglenest WLS, Latpanchar 35 Lauraceae Machilus - GH, RNH, Namdapha TR duthiei WH 50 Meliaceae Chisocheton Lali GH Buxa & Pakke cumingianus TR 36 Lauraceae Machilus sp. - RNH Eaglenest WLS 51 Meliaceae Dysoxylum Lali RNH Buxa TR, procerum Latpanchar 37 Lauraceae Neolitsea - - Pakke TR umbrosa 52 Meliaceae Dysoxylum - - Pakke TR cauliflorum 38 Lauraceae Phoebe sp. Petpete GH, WH Buxa & Namdapha TR 53 Meliaceae *Dysoxylum sp. - - Namdapha TR 39 Lauraceae Phoebe - - Pakke TR lanceolata 54 Meliaceae Dysoxylum - - Pakke TR hamiltonii 40 Lauraceae Phoebe - - Pakke TR attenuata 55 Meliaceae Lali/ GH Buxa TR polystachya Harelali 41 Lauraceae Phoebe - RNH Eaglenest cooperiana WLS, Pakke TR 56 Meliaceae Trichilia sp. - RNH Eaglenest WLS 42 Lauraceae Phoebe cf. - - goalparensis 57 Moraceae elastica - GH Buxa TR 43 Lauraceae sp. - RNH Eaglenest WLS 58 Moraceae Ficus altissima - GH, RNH, Buxa, WH Namdapha 44 Leguminosae Milletia - - Pakke TR Tiger Reserve pachycarpa & Pakke TR 45 Magnoliaceae Talauma - - Pakke TR 59 Moraceae Ficus clavata - - Pakke TR hodgsonii 46 Magnoliaceae Michelia - - Eaglenest WLS 60 Moraceae Ficus - - Pakke TR champaca Namdapha & macclellandi Pakke TR 61 Moraceae Ficus nervosa - - Pakke TR 47 Magnoliaceae Michelia - RNH Neora Valley velutinosa NP 62 Moraceae Ficus drupacea - GH, RNH, Namdapha TR 48 Meliaceae Lali/Jante GH, RNH Buxa & Pakke WH spectabilis Lali TR, Eaglenest 63 Moraceae Ficus geniculata - GH, RNH, Namdapha TR WLS, WH Latpanchar 64 Moraceae Ficus - RNH Namdapha TR microcarpa 65 Moraceae Ficus benjamina - -

30 31 66 Moraceae Ficus obtusifolia - - 83 Rubiaceae Hyptianthera - - Pakke TR stricta 67 Moraceae Ficus roxburghii - RNH Eaglenest WLS 84 Rutaceae **Zanthoxylum - - Pakke TR rhetsa 68 Moraceae Ficus hirta - RNH Eaglenest WLS 85 Simaroubaceae Picrasma - - Pakke TR javanica 69 Moraceae Ficus cf. tsjahela - GH, RNH, Namdapha TR 86 Sterculiaceae Sterculia villosa - - Pakke TR WH 70 Moraceae Ficus rumphii - - Buxa & Pakke 87 Urticaceae Laportea - - Pakke TR (only TR, Kaziranga crenulata one feeding NP observation) 71 Moraceae Artocarpus - - Pakke TR 88 Verbenaceae Vitex glabrata - - Pakke TR chaplasha 72 Horsfieldia Ramgua GH, RNH Buxa & 89 Verbenaceae Callicarpa - - Pakke TR kingii - Pakke TR, arborea Latpanchar 90 Vitaceae Leea indica - - Pakke TR 73 Myristicaceae Knema erratica - - Pakke TR 9 more 1 liana, 2 fig and - - Pakke TR 74 Myristicaceae Knema linifolia - - Pakke TR unidentified six others species 75 Myrtaceae Syzygium Jam/Jamun/ GH Buxa TR *named as D. gobara in some publications cumini Jamuna 76 Myrtaceae Syzygium - - Pakke TR **named as Z. glabrata in one publication syzygioides 77 Myrtaceae Syzygium - RNH Eaglenest WLS formosum 78 Oleaceae Chionanthus sp. - RNH, WH Buxa & Namdapha TR 79 Phyllanthaceae Bridelia retusa - - Pakke TR (one feeding observation) 80 Rhamnaceae Zizyphus sp. - - Pakke TR (one feeding observation) 81 Rosaceae Prunus - RNH, WH Namdapha & ceylanica) Pakke TR 82 Rosaceae Prunus sp. 2 - - Pakke TR

32 33 Horsfieldia kingii Photos: Karishma Pradhan Photo: Sitaram Mahato

Beilschmiedia sp. Polyalthia simiarum Photo: Sitaram Mahato Photo: Sitaram Mahato

Dysoxylum gotadhora Left : Actinodaphne obovata Photo: left: Sitaram Mahato Right : Aphanamixis polystachya right: Karishma Pradhan Photos : Sitaram Mahato

34 35 Acknowledgement Rufous-necked hornbill from Communications and design Latpanchar. Co-ordinator, NCF and Mr Ishaan Patil, Intern, NCF for design and We express our gratitude to Ms layout of this brochure.

The team is thankful to the West Forest Officer (DFO), Darjeeling Veena Rai, Programme Bengal Forest Department for its (Wildlife), Shri Dharmendra Rai. Co-ordinator, NCF for help with The field work for this project was active support towards the We are grateful to all the ADFOs, the project administration and Ms funded by Whitley-Segré project. We are thankful to the Range officers, beat officers and Monali Mhaskar, Researcher, NCF Conservation Fund (WSCF) Principal Chief Conservator of other staff who have supported for help during the breeding granted to Dr. Aparajita Datta, Forests (PCCF) and Chief Wildlife the field work at Buxa Tiger biology study in June, 2019. We NCF. Warden, Shri Ravi Kant Sinha, for Reserve, Mahananda Wildlife thank Ms Janhavi Rajan granting permission to carry Sanctuary and Neora Valley forward this project in this National Park. important landscape. We are grateful to the Chief Conservator We also thank Mr Rishin Basu Roy of Forests (CCF) of North Bengal, and Mr Tamaghna Sengupta from Shri Ujjal Ghosh and the Field Nature Mates for their continuous Director & Chief Conservator of support to the field team. We are Forests (CCF) of Buxa Tiger grateful to receive the support of Reserve (BTR), Shri Subhankar the residents of Latpanchar village Sengupta. The team is thankful and thank the following members: to the Deputy Field Director BTR Mr Anmol Rai; Mr Parag Gurung; (East), Shri Harish Meena; Deputy Mr Sanjay Rai and Mr Ujjwal Rai. Field Director BTR (West), Shri We also thank Mr Debapratim Kalyan Rai; Divisional Forest Saha, an educator from Siliguri, Officer (DFO), Gorumara, Ms. for sharing his natural history Nisha Goswami and Divisional observations of the Funded by: Whitley-Segré Conservation Fund (WSCF) 36 37 Buxa TR landscape. Photo Dollar Ganguly 40