Nature plays countless games in remote forests that human civilisation may never discover, but there are moments when rare coincidences occur amidst human settlements, as is being witnessed these days in Delhi’s Lodhi Garden.

Every morning, around 5 am, birdwatchers, photographers, and ornithologists from across the city and surrounding areas gather here and stare at a hole-like nest built in a silk cotton tree.

In this nest, a female Indian Grey Hornbill is raising her chicks. As happens during nesting, the female seals the nest with mud from within, leaving a small slit open. The male brings her food, and she relies on him for her and her chicks’ survival. 

Everything in this story was normal until here. The twist came when an Oriental Pied Hornbill arrived at the nest and began feeding the female and her chicks.

Two facts make this story thrilling. First, the Oriental Pied Hornbill is a bird found in the lower regions of the Himalayas (the Terai) and is not seen in Delhi. Second, this hornbill is female, not male. Why is one female........

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