In which of the following regions of India, are you most likely to come across the ‘Great Indian Hornbill’ in its natural habitat?

The Great Indian Hornbill (Buceros bicornis) is a large fruit-eating bird of evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. Its strongest population is in the Western Ghats, spread across Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Smaller populations survive in Northeast India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam) and parts of central Indian forests. Arunachal Pradesh has adopted it as its state bird.

Its breeding biology is a favourite of the question-setters. The female nests in a large tree hollow and seals herself inside with mud and droppings, leaving a narrow slit through which the male feeds her during incubation. Because it depends on large fruiting trees and old hollows, it works as a seed disperser and an indicator of forest health.

• A) Sand deserts of northwest India: The Thar is home to the Great Indian Bustard and other grassland or desert species, not hornbills.
• B) Higher Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir: Cold, high-altitude zones lack the fruiting forest canopy the hornbill needs. Himalayan birds like the Monal belong here instead.
• C) Salt marshes of western Gujarat: The Rann of Kutch is known for flamingos and the wild ass, not forest birds.

The species is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Its conservation status has been revised over time, so check the latest IUCN assessment before quoting it. The Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012, connects this question to Mains topics on biodiversity hotspots and forest conservation.

Trap: Aspirants often mix this bird up with the Great Indian Bustard because of the word 'Great Indian', which pulls them toward the desert option.