The Project

For the past 20 years, researchers from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology have been investigating southern ground-hornbills’ habitat use and reproductive success, largely to inform the activities of the Mabula Ground-Hornbill Project and the national Ground-Hornbill Working Group, our partners in implementing the national Species Recovery Plan and a recently compiled Biodiversity Management Plan for the species. The main study area is the Associated Private Nature Reserves or APNR, covering some 200 000 hectares and supporting about 30 ground-hornbill groups.

In the early years of the project, it was identified that there was a shortage of natural nesting sites, and so artificial nests began to be installed throughout the area. This is a task that has continued throughout the projects history and has proved pivotal for the birds of the APNR. Having access to these artificial nests gives them the opportunity to breed successfully and boost their population. Throughout the 20 years of the project’s existence, different researchers have asked different questions and generated information regarding the birds’ habitat-use, daily travel distances, territory sizes, seasonal movements, breeding success, and the effectiveness of artificial nests.