Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Mausi the Hornbill Reveals How Delhi Birds Adapt
A bird called an Oriental Pied Hornbill has been living in Lodhi Garden in Delhi.
People nicknamed the bird Mausi.
At first, birdwatchers worried it might feed young birds and later eat them.
This fear came from an earlier incident in Punjab in 2021.
But at Lodhi Garden, Mausi has been seen eating eggs, insects and berries instead.
The garden has many other birds competing for food and places to build nests.
City birds can adjust to urban life, but they still have less space.
Experts say many of their populations are continuing to decline.
An Oriental Pied Hornbill, nicknamed Mausi, appeared at Delhi’s Lodhi Garden in May.
Birders initially wondered whether it was feeding on chicks before eating them, as happened in Punjab in 2021.
At Lodhi Garden, the hornbill has eaten eggs, insects and berries from banyan, peepal and other trees.
The garden hosts many urban bird species, creating competition for food and nesting spaces despite plentiful vegetation.
Conservationist Mayuri Jani says city birds adapt to limited space, but their populations continue to decline.
- Who
- An Oriental Pied Hornbill known as Mausi, along with other urban bird species and the conservationists observing them.
- What
- The hornbill’s behavior at Lodhi Garden has highlighted how birds compete and adapt in cities.
- When
- The hornbill appeared at Lodhi Garden in May this year; a related incident occurred in Punjab in 2021.
- Where
- Lodhi Garden in Delhi; the earlier incident took place along the Sirhind Canal in Punjab.
- Why
- Urban birds face competition for limited nesting spaces and food, even when parks contain abundant vegetation.
- Bird
- Oriental Pied Hornbill
- Nickname
- Mausi
- Location
- Lodhi Garden, Delhi
- First observed
- May this year
- Recorded diet
- Eggs, insects and berries
- Earlier incident
- A pied hornbill fed Indian Grey Hornbill chicks and later ate them along the Sirhind Canal in Punjab in 2021
- Urban challenge
- Limited space for nesting sites and food