Southern Ground Hornbill Conservation and Research

Southern Ground Hornbill Conservation and Research

Today I joined Kyle Middleton, a PhD student that works for the University of Cape Town, his current project is "APRN Ground Hornbill Project" which is focused on the Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri).
APRN stands for Associated Private Nature Reserves, which is a 200,000ha nature reserve located on the east coast of South Africa. 

Conservation

Southern Ground Hornbill

Their project began in 2003 with the university sending students out to examine this elusive species. 

The students found that there was a lack of nesting sites in the area for this species, and so they built and placed artificial nests, that turned out to be  hugely successful. 

Ground Hornbill populations have decreased by 70% within the last 100 years, but thanks to the efforts of students and conservationists, the population is almost tripled over the last 17 years.   

Southern Ground Hornbills using artificial nests [Credit: APNR Ground Hornbill Project]

Threats to conservation:

• Climate change
• Leopards preying on nests
• Few offspring - will produce two eggs each time, however the second egg almost always dies
• Human encroachment on habitat
• Deforestation

The goal for the nationwide conservation plan is to reintroduce groups into the historic range. 

They plan to do this by extracting the second egg produced (99% fatality rate), save it, and rear it in captivity with a group of it own that can then be reintroduced into a historic range. This doubles breeding success and has been very successful as the introduced group will survive and breed on their own.

Research

Research over the years has consisted of, habitat use, reproductive performance, and efficiency of the artificial nest boxes. 

Current research is focusing on the co-operation of individuals in raising young. Ground Hornbills are co-operative breeders that live in groups of 2-11 (one-female, multi-male) and will all contribute to the raising of offspring. They are also examining the potential impacts of climate change on this behaviour and on reproduction. 

Vocalisations are also being studied. Ground Hornbills produce a beautifully deep chorus like sound which advertises their territory to the competition. Carl is examining these vocalisations to determine if there is individual recognition by call alone. 

                                                    [Credit: Roaneric YouTube channel]

All of these research papers go to the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project which focuses its efforts entirely on the conservation of this species throughout all of South Africa.

Conclusion

Southern Ground Hornbills were once a species teetering on the edge of extinction, however, thanks to artificial nest boxes, protection in nature reserves, and reintroduction programs, they have made a huge comeback. 

Active research is being done to better understand and how to better conserve the species, and it is expected for them to return to a stable abundance, in the coming years. 

Student Reflection

I am not normally that interested in avian's, but I find hornbills enjoyable to read and learn about. Career path is still unclear, however, I feel as though I am less opposed to the idea than previously. 

Disclaimer: All views expressed are my own. Images and videos used on this blog are not my own and all rights go to the original owners. This blog and contents are for educational purposes. If you have a copyright issue please contact me via email on author profile.