Context: Recently, an award-winning wildlife photographer KA Dhanuparan recalls the “special moment” when he caught a first glimpse of the ‘Narcondam hornbill’ with its velvet-black plumage and over-sized yellow beak.

About Narcondam Hornbill

• It is endemic to the Narcondam Island in Andamans.
• It is listed as ‘Endangered’ under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• The Narcondam Hornbill (Rhyticeros narcondami) is a species of hornbill in the Bucerotidae family.
• It  is a fairly small hornbill species, with a black body and distinct short, white tail.
• It feeds mainly on fruit, with figs making up the majority of the diet.
• It is closely related to Blyth’s hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus) and Wreathed hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus).
• The Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) of these hornbill species in India is the Narcondam Island Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The natural ecosystems of these species include tropical and subtropical moist lowland forests, open mixed forests and tropical and sub-tropical moist shrublands.
• The CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) status is ‘Evaluated’ for the Narcondam hornbill (Rhyticeros narcondami) and is listed in Appendix II.