Sighting of a common Indian Grey Hornbill or an endangered Rufous-necked Hornbill can now be reported to “Hornbill Watch”.
Hornbill Watch, a citizen-science initiative to study Indian hornbills, has been launched by the Nature Conservation Foundation and Conservation India. It aims to create awareness about these species and enables people to contribute by sharing hornbill sighting and images. The website hornbills.in provides information on Asian hornbills and the threats they face, a release said.
Conservation India will provide strategy, technology and media support to wildlife conservation organisations to implement citizen science and outreach programmes. “Successful citizen-science initiatives require creation and deployment of smart digital properties that aid public access and engagement. Hornbill Watch is a classic example,” Conservation India Co-founder Ramki Sreenivasan said.
Nine species of hornbills can be found in India. The Rufous-necked Hornbill is listed as ‘vulnerable’ by IUCN while the Great Hornbill, Brown Hornbill and Malabar Pied Hornbill are listed under ‘lower risk/ threatened’ category, according to the website. The Great Indian Hornbill has a wide distribution across the country and can be seen even in cities, it added. People can contribute to Hornbill Watch through the ‘Report your sighting’ page on the website.
