Once a familiar flash of colour against Himalayan forests, hornbills have all but vanished from large swathes of West Bengal’s Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong districts after a 70 per cent population collapse in little more than a decade. Alarmed forest officials and conservationists have now launched a wide‑ranging initiative to coax the birds back by re‑creating the fruit‑rich woodland they depend upon.
Species such as the Indian Grey, Pied and Heart‑headed hornbills once thrived in Mahaldiram, Latpanchar, Rongtong, Shivkhola and the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. Today the Great Indian Hornbill is the only member of the family still sighted with any regularity, a decline blamed on logging, land‑use change and rising temperatures that have stripped away nesting trees and year‑round food.
To reverse the trend, the Forest Department and the Eastern Dooars Tourism Development Association have begun an ambitious replanting drive. “These birds rely heavily on specific fruit‑bearing trees for sustenance,” said Kurseong Divisional Forest Officer Debesh Pandey. “With their numbers rapidly dwindling, it is crucial we restore both their food sources and nesting grounds.” Two hundred jamun, kafal and other wild fruit trees, plus 100 flowering saplings, have already taken root near Mahaldiram Tea Garden; 50,000 more trees are scheduled.
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Nest boxes have been fixed high in suitable trunks across the slopes, and every village in the project corridor will host awareness camps on curbing pollution and protecting forest fragments. Sitong‑2 gram panchayat has formally endorsed the plan, and talks are under way with neighbouring councils to limit further habitat loss.
“In the last decade, hornbill sightings in Mahaldiram and Latpancher have plummeted,” warned Biswajit Saha, general secretary of the tourism body. “By planting their favourite fruit trees, we hope to attract them back in flocks. Restoring their habitat is our only hope.”
Longer‑term proposals include creating a dedicated Hornbill Park to anchor eco‑tourism and give locals a financial stake in conservation. Officials remain optimistic that, with sustained effort, the booming call of the hornbill will once again echo across the Himalayan foothills.
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