A rare Oriental Pied Hornbill sighting in Lodhi Garden has captivated Delhi's birdwatching community, highlighting the importance of urban biodiversity and coexistence with wildlife.
Since the past month, May, 2026, an ornithological wonder has been taking place in Lodi Gardens in New Delhi that has mesmerized the city of New Delhi and beyond. An Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris), a bird that is not normally found within the city limits has been sighted in Lodi Gardens, right in the middle of the city. Although there are historical records of this bird being sighted within the city of Delhi, these were vagrants from their range in the sub Himalayan tracts, which include Corbett National Park and Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand. The origin of this particular bird, a female, is unknown and her behaviour is enchanting birdwatchers and walkers alike inside the garden.
The female Oriental Pied Hornbill is being observed feeding the chicks of the Grey Hornbill bird, a small population of which is present in Lodi Gardens throughout the year. This cross species interaction is mesmerizing visitors who are flocking to watch this ornithological marvel.
The Oriental Pied Hornbill in Lodi Gardens is a living testament to the philosophy of coexistence as ingrained in the Indian ideal of ahimsa (non violence) that teaches compassion for all living creatures and the need to respect non human animals as individuals just as we treat individual humans. This wonder bird in the city of New Delhi, the female Oriental Pied Hornbill, has also given us valuable lessons in cherishing our urban parks and gardens as part of the city wilderness and imbibing the cardinal principle of World Animal Protection, that is, wildlife belongs in the wild.
Shubhobroto Ghosh is Wildlife Campaign Manager of World Animal Protection in India.