Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) Fact Sheet: Population & Conservation Status

Global population

• No estimates available (BirdLife International 2012, 2016, 2025)
  • Widespread but occurs at low population densities
  • Significant population declines suspected in some regions/countries, such as South Africa (see BirdLife International 2025)

IUCN Status

• Vulnerable (2025 assessment) (BirdLife International 2025)
  • Threats include lead poisoning (consumed during scavenging), trade, persecution, habitat loss, loss of nesting trees
    • Expected to continue into the future
  • A long-lived bird that does not produce many young

CITES Status

• Not listed (UNEP 2019)

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
  • Not listed under CITES
• 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)

BirdLife International (2012)
Brooke 1(984)
Bruyns et al. (2013)
Engelbrecht et al. (2007)
Kemp (1995)
Kemp (2000)
Kemp et al. (2007)
Spear et al. (2005)
Trail (2007)
Witteveen et al. (2013)