It’s been just over three weeks since we first found the Southern Ground Hornbill nest in the south-eastern parts of the reserve.
As per the protocol, we have not visited the nest site since then and have given the flock a reasonable amount of space in our best attempt to allow them to remain settled and undisturbed during this sensitive time.
Upon reporting the nest to the Sabi Sand management, they were the only other people to view the nest, purely to assess it for research purposes. Other than that we have seen members of the flock fairly regularly, in the general vicinity of the nest, as they set about foraging for food in the long grass and many puddles that have formed after the rains.
There is plenty of food around for the hornbill’s at the moment.
A few days ago, we were alerted that the Reserve Ecologist would be returning to reassess the nest and check on the progress of the brooding female. During these rare opportunities to visit to the nest, impact is kept to a minimum and so, along with the Sabi Sand inspector Robin, just three of us headed down there. We had a maximum of fifteen minutes to be at the nest and had to be careful not to leave too much of our scent behind. The objective of this particular visit was to see firstly if the nest was still being used and that the eggs had not been predated on or abandoned and secondly, if all was well, to see if the eggs had hatched.
The nest is tucked away in this dead leadwood tree in front of us. Leadwood trees are really hard and can take hundreds of years to weather down and fall over. This makes them a safe tree for a nest as they are very unlikely to topple over in a storm or be bashed down by an elephant. The hornbills often reuse their nests so hopefully this won’t be last we see of this flock in years to come. Photograph by Ian MacLarty.
Ground Hornbills practise a fairly common breeding behaviour amongst large birds in that they will lay two eggs (most of the time) but only raise one chick.
The idea behind this is that the second egg is more of an insurance should something happen to the first one. Both eggs will hatch but the second to do so will be disregarded by the flock as they invest all their time and energy into the first chick.
For a species whose numbers are unfortunately still declining, this breeding behaviour gives us the perfect opportunity to lend a helping hand and boost the population: a few conservation centres have started initiatives to remove this disregarded chick from the nest and rear it in captivity instead. This essentially takes that chick’s chances of survival from zero to somewhere around 50%. After being hand reared, these birds are reintroduced to wild areas where they then have a chance of joining a flock and breeding themselves. To find out more about this, there is some fantastic information on the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project website.
The female was flushed from the nest as we got closer. This process may seem invasive but we were follow strict protocol the entire time to ensure we minimise impact on the nest site. The female returned shortly after we were finished. Photograph by Ian MacLarty.
As we slowly approached the nest, Robin explained that if the second chick had indeed hatched, he would carefully remove it and place it into an incubated and humidified box that he had in his vehicle. From there, the chick would be transported to one of these rearing centres nearby.
Of course, there was the chance that the nest would be empty, as he explained that another nest he had previously monitored was in fact raided by a hungry leopard so we weren’t quite sure what to expect!
Robin from the Sabi Sand ecology team, discovers that there are two hatched chicks in the nest! Photograph taken by Ian MacLarty.
The nest is situated in an ideal spot; a large natural cavity, about three meters off the ground, in a dead leadwood. Robin placed his ladder at the base of the tree and as he did so, flushed the female off of the nest. Our fifteen minutes started now! He climbed up and peered inside and turned to us with a big smile and gave us the thumbs up. Two chicks were nettled in the leaf litter in the base of the cavity!
The two chicks nestled in the cavity. One can clearly see the size difference between the two. The larger one would have hatched some days before the second and will now be getting all the attention of the adults. Had we arrived at the nest a few days later there would have been a good chance that the smaller chick would no longer be alive.
Using latex gloves to minimise the impact on the nest and the chick itself, Robin carefully placed it in the incubation box to be transported to the hand rearing centre. Judging by the chick’s appearance it would not be more than a couple of days since it hatched.
We all had a brief chance to peer inside, all the while being cautious not to disturb any part of the nest. Robin then went back up and carefully carried the smaller of the two chicks into a pouch, down the ladder and into the incubation box. The female shortly returned back to the nest and settled down there once again.
During the next few months, the flock will dedicate all their time to raising and protecting their chick while providing for the mother who will continue to brood on the nest for the next few weeks. The second chick will be given its best chance of survival at the rearing centre and hopefully reach adulthood and be released into the wilderness to raise more Ground Hornbills of its own one day.
A rather useful diagram that I found on the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project website that details a rough timeline of the breeding cycle. Its important to note that this does not happen every year though and it may take up to nine years for a flock to raise their next chick.
This is amazing Chris. Fantastic work done by Mabula.
Thanks for including the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project website. It answers many questions about how the 2nd chick is re-introduced into the environment–fascinating.
Chris, I loved all the photos, especially the one hornbill chick🤗
The Southern Ground Hornbill is a beautiful bird! I am so glad you rescued this tiny baby from certain death! Kudos to all of you!
Great story, Chris, and well told. I think it’s great that such an intervention is done to save chick #2 and help the species. Better yet to be part of the event!
This is such happy news! Here’s hoping for the successful rearing of both chicks.
Very cool story, thanks for sharing!
A really feel good blog Chris. What an interesting breeding cycle these birds have. It is great that once the chicks hatch and the location is known, the smaller chick is rescued and given a chance to survive and then go on to breed. Thanks for sharing the link and the story. Enjoyed it. Be well and stay safe all of you at Londolozi.
A really fascinating article. It’s great that the project team tries to help the second chick to survive and become a parent itself one day (hopefully).
Very interesting. Merry Christmas.
Can’t wait to be back in septembre 21
A massive shout out to Mabula and all the team. Just wonderful to know that you are doing all you can to protect this endangered species 🙏💕. Fabulous photos and story Chris. Wishing both chicks a future for all to enjoy. 💖
what a wonderful experience for us all to see. Fingers crossed for the survival of the second chick! Victoria
Chris, what a fantastic report on this Manula Ground Hornbill Project. I’m so glad there were accompanying photos to illustrate what happens in the nest. I know many say human intervention is wrong, but in cases like this, it’s only right to give the second chick a chance at life, thus perhaps enabling this species to expand their numbers. Bravo to the team!
Fascinating, well done.
So very interesting, Chris. A couple of months ago we were spending a few days with our family at Mabula and went along to the Thursday morning tea and lecture on various aspects of wild life at Mabula. We had an intensely interesting talk by a very knowledgeable young lady and were so sorry when she concluded her talk! It was all about their Ground Hornbill Conservation Project. She spoke well and was so enthusiastic it was a pleasure to listen to her and have a brief chat with her afterwards. Thank you so much for your article and pictures! Wendy M
Really interesting blog, thank you for sharing this kind of information, it’s really good to know.
That is so very interesting. I am thrilled to hear the second chick will have a chance and that there is a project to help them! I can’t wait to hear more updates.
Great post! I think the ground hornbill is my favorite bird at Londolozi. It’s really cool that there is work being done to ensure their survival and that their numbers can grow!!