Habitat loss, degradation, and transformation
- Main causes of population declines in South Africa (Spear et al. 2005)
- Habitat loss
- Conversion of savanna to agricultural habitat (Kemp 1995; Trail 2007)
- Industrialization and expansion of human settlements eliminates suitable habitat (Spear et al. 2005)
- Fire (BirdLife International 2012)
- Habitat degradation and transformation
- Overgrazing by livestock alters habitat
- Leads to encroachment of bushland and forests (Spear et al. 2005)
- Exacerbates erosion in suitable grasslands in Kenya (BirdLife International 2012)
Killed by humans
- Intentional and accidental poisoning (from Brooke 1984; Witteveen et al. 2013 unless otherwise noted)
- Consume small poisoned carcasses and poisoned grain baits
- Targeted hunting (from Spear et al. 2005 unless otherwise noted)
- Shot by homeowners
- Birds tend to fly into windows on seeing their reflection and interpreting it as a territorial intruder
- Sport hunting and take for use in traditional medicine
- Not considered major threats (Trail 2007)
- Likely opportunistic take rather than direct targeting of the species (Bruyns et al. 2013)
International trade (from Trail 2007)
- Lack of sufficient tracking data
- United States imports March 1999-March 2006
- <16 declarations for Bucorvus spp (a declaration may include more than one individual or portions of individuals)
- Included a total of 37 live birds
- Most were likely Southern Ground Hornbills (B. leadbeateri), based on exporting country records
- Tanzania was the source country of most Southern Ground Hornbill imports
Slow reproductive rates worsen the impact of these threats (BirdLife International 2012)
