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Kerala Estimate Put Malabar Pied Hornbill Long-term Trend at −72%, While Recent Trend Was Uncertain

Male Malabar Pied Hornbill in flight
Conservation · Population & status

The 2025 interim update from State of India’s Birds reported revised trend estimates for the Malabar pied hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus) in India, including a separate set of estimates for Kerala. The updated numerical values were released on 6 May 2026.

For Kerala, the long-term numerical trend was estimated at −72.3% and clearly supported a steep long-term decline. The current annual estimate was +10.5% per year, but the uncertainty was too broad to establish a clear recent increase or decline. The species page nevertheless still displays Trend Inconclusive for both Kerala trends because the 2025 interim update revised the numerical estimates without recalculating the 2023 assessment categories.

For India as a whole, the long-term numerical estimate was +57.5% and the current annual estimate was +1.5% per year, but uncertainty around both was too broad to establish a clear national increase or decline. The estimated Indian distribution range was 177,824 km², compared with 21,527 km² for Kerala. The species is listed by State of India’s Birds at Moderate conservation priority, as globally Near Threatened and under Schedule I of India’s Wild Life Protection Act.

The interim release revised numerical distribution and trend estimates for 942 previously assessed Indian bird species using approximately 48 million eBird observations submitted through 31 May 2025. The trend values describe change in a reporting-based abundance index rather than direct counts of individual birds. The species is described as a resident associated with forest and plantations and endemic to the Indian subcontinent.

Sources and image credit

  1. State of India’s Birds Partnership. (2026). State of India’s Birds: Range, trends, and conservation status (Version 2) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20036633Primary 2026 dataset release created 6 May 2026. Version 2 updated numerical distribution range size, long-term trend and current annual trend values for 942 previously evaluated species using approximately 48 million eBird observations through 31 May 2025; the assessment categories were unchanged.
  2. State of India’s Birds Partnership. (2025). State of India’s Birds factsheet: Malabar Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus), Kerala.Kerala page displaying the 2025 update: Kerala long-term trend −72.29% (−89.01 to −33.52), current annual trend +10.5% (−1.79 to +22.79), retained Kerala categories Trend Inconclusive for both trends, India-wide numerical estimates +57.47% and +1.48% per year, Indian range 177,824 km², Kerala range 21,527 km², Moderate conservation priority, global Near Threatened status and Schedule I.

Image: Kandukuru Nagarjun / Wikimedia Commons — male Malabar pied hornbill in flight at Bhadra Reservoir, India, 3 April 2021. Representative image for this story; not presented as an animal or scene from the reported study or event. · CC BY 2.0 · Source

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