Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
The Battle For Survival
African Birdlife
|November - December 2020
Numbers of the Southern Ground-Hornbill have de-creased throughout its range.
Rwanda, Burundi, Eswatini and to some extent Malawi now support only remnant populations, restricted to tiny protected areas. Kenya, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa boast larger populations, but the species has lost 70 to 90 per cent of its original range in some of these states and it is now common only in large protected areas. The countries where it is apparently faring best are Zambia and Tanzania. We don’t know the size of the total population, but it is believed there are fewer than 1500 birds in South Africa, with half of these now confined to the Kruger National Park and adjacent conservation areas. Not surprisingly, this hornbill is currently classified as globally Vulnerable.
This story is from the November - December 2020 edition of African Birdlife.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM African Birdlife
African Birdlife
Southern SIGHTINGS
MID-JULY TO MID-SEPTEMBER 2025
2 mins
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
BLUE CRANE
A symbol of pride and vulnerability
6 mins
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
CHAOS AT THE KOM
Between 1 and 3 December 2024 there was a remarkable sardine run off Kommetjie on the Cape Peninsula.
1 min
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
Whatever form they take, from peatlands to estuaries, wetlands are critical for the survival of waterbirds, such as the White-winged Flufftail, Maccoa Duck and Grey Crowned Crane. They are highly productive ecosystems that are characterised by diverse and abundant food sources and they provide essential feeding, breeding, migratory and resting habitat for numerous species. iSimangaliso Wetland Park, for example, supports more than 500 bird species.
1 mins
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
FRAMING wild feathers
WINNERS OF THE BIRDLIFE SOUTH AFRICA PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION 2025
4 mins
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
PITTA PILGRIMAGE
Look there - on that branch, behind those green leaves!’ Crouching in thick forest, with sweat dripping, heart pounding and eyes straining, I frantically searched with my binoculars, trying to work out which branch, which green leaves - indeed, which darned tree? I was close to panicking as we had come so far, and yet I just couldn't see where our guide was pointing.
4 mins
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
Unlocking a DIGITAL WORLD of bird stories
For more than 75 years, the South African Bird Ringing Unit (SAFRING), now hosted by the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, has woven together the complex life stories of southern Africa's birds.
1 mins
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
MIRRORLESS MARVEL
Testing Canon's R1 in the field
3 mins
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
Is NECHISAR NIGHTJAR a hybrid?
Vernon Head's award-winning book The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World brought widespread attention to the curious case of the Nechisar Nightjar. In 1992, a dead nightjar was found on a dirt road in Nechisar National Park, southern Ethiopia. A wing was collected and the bird was later described as a new species based on its distinctive large white wing patch. Its scientific name, Caprimulgus solala, attests to the fact that it is known only from a single wing.
2 mins
November/December 2025
African Birdlife
a TALL Tail
In the high grass of eastern South Africa, midsummer is when the Long-tailed Widowbird transforms the veld into a stage.
1 min
November/December 2025
Translate
Change font size