In which of the following regions of India are you most likely to come across the 'Great Indian Hornbill' in its natural habitat? |ForumIAS

[A] Sand deserts of northwest India

[B] Higher Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir

[C] Salt marshes of western Gujarat

[D] Western Ghats

Answer: D

Notes:

Explanation: Great Indian hornbills

Great Indian hornbills are found in the forests of Nepal, India, Mainland Southeast Asia, and Sumatra.
Great Indian hornbill is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
They are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of India.
Great Hornbills are found in three separate areas in South Asia;
The Western Ghats,
The Himalayan foothills in Uttaranchal to south Nepal
Bhutan and northeast India.
They are also found in Myanmar, islands in the Mergui archipelago, southern China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, peninsular Malaysia, and in Sumatra, Indonesia.
They are also found in primary evergreen and moist deciduous forests, mainly in lowland forests, but they can be found up to 2,000 meters in some areas.
The Great Hornbill is the state bird of Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh.
Hornbill Festival is also celebrated between 1st to 10th December every year in Nagaland.
In Nagaland Hornbill is a respected bird that finds mention in the tribe’s folklore.
In 2018 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Great Indian Hornbill as vulnerable in the Red List of Threatened Species.