On The Wing: Indian Grey Hornbill

What goes flap-flap-glide, flap-flap-glide? A Grey Hornbill in flight!



Grey hornbills (Ocyceros birostris) fly like tiny missiles -- if not by speed, by profile.

Flap-flap-glide, flap-flap-glide... when you see one pass by you can always expect another one to be close behind – usually its soulmate. This one was headed straight for me when it realized I was right ahead, braked in the air spreading the wings and tail feathers, and within a second, it changed direction by ninety degrees and disappeared into the branches of a tree.

Text and photo by Sandeep Somasekharan
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