Ground Hornbill

The Ground Hornbill, Bucorvus leadbeateri, is one of the more perculiar birds of the Kruger Park. Early birders referred to them as Turkey Buzzards, and they definitely have some kind of resemblance to turkeys, however, they are not related. The current population in South Africa is estimated to 1500-2000 individuals of which half of them occur in the Kruger Park and surrounding reserves. The parks population is fairly stable with some 200 breeding pairs. They don’t have to deal with the same pressures as Ground Hornbills elsewhere which are declining due to habitat loss and poisoning. Loss of large trees for nesting sites is a big problem. Several projects are in place to help the current population grow. This is done by providing artificial nesting sites in suitable areas as well as hand rearing chicks to be released back into the wild. Hornbills always lay two eggs of which only one is raised. The other youngster inevitably dies of starvation. By rescuing this chick and raising it in captivity, they can later be released in suitable areas where their numbers have been dwindling. By so doing, these slow breeding birds (it takes 9 years for a chick to be raised to adulthood) are helped to increase the wild population. Considering these threats it was great to see 6 different groups of hornbills on my last safari, a sign that things are improving for them.

 

Simon Vegter

Wild Wings Safaris

www.wild-wings.co.za