Bromvoëls tel onder my gunstelingvoëlsoorte. Ek geniet dit baie om hulle dop te hou - hulle lyk baie eienaardig: indrukwekkend, selfs intimederend, maar ook komieklik. Die fotos hier is almal in die Krugerwildtuin geneem. Gelukkig is dit maklik om bromvoëls af te neem: hulle loop dikwels langs of selfs in paaie, en is glad nie bang vir mense of motors nie. Ons het hierdie fotos meestal van nogal naby af geneem. Die foto hierbo is 'n nabyskoot van 'n deftige bromvoëldame - 'n mens kan haar geslag sien aan die stukkie blou vel onder die keel. Benewens hierdie verskil het die dames sowel as die here ewe helder kleure, ewe groot snawels, ewe groot stukke kaal vel en sakke op die kop en nek, en ewe lang, swart oogwimpers. Die jonges van albei geslagte lyk egter eenders - hulle kaal velle is 'n dowwe, gelerige of gryserige rooi. Die helder kleure ontwikkel eers tydends geslagsrypheid.

Vir dié wat hulle nog nie goed ken nie - bromvoëls is besondere groot voëls, ongeveer die grootte van plaaskalkoene - maar nie so swaar nie. Hulle bereik 'n massa van sowat ses kilogram. Hulle kan vlieg, en redelik goed ook, as dit nodig is. Gewoonlik stap hulle egter met stywebeenpassies oor die grond. Hulle loop boonop op hulle tone, met die 'sool' van die voet hoog van die grond af gelig. Die gevolg is 'n statige stappie, wat 'n indruk van geregverdigde arrogansie wek.

Net om seker te maak niemand verkeer onder 'n misverstand nie - hierdie voëls is glad nie naby verwant aan kalkoene nie. Hulle is eintlik neushoringvoëls - inderdaad die grootste van al die neushoringvoëlspesies. Hulle is baie meer grondlewend as die ander, as gevolg van hulle grootte. Daar is eintlik twee bromvoëlspesies - hierdie een is die Suidelike Bromvoël, Bucorvus leadbeateri, met 'n verspreiding wat strek van die Oos-Kaap in Suid-Afrika tot Kenia in Oos-Afrika, in savannestreke - hulle is afwesig in die Kalahari- en Namibwoestyne, asook in die Kongobekken. Van Kenia af, noordwaarts, tref 'n mens die Noordelike Bromvoël, Bucorvus abyssinicus, aan. Sy verspreiding strek noordwaarts tot Ethiopië, en weswaarts al noord van die reënwoudstreek, en al suid van die Saharawoestyn, tot by die Wes-Afrikaanse kus.

Ground hornbills number among my favourite bird species. I enjoy it immensely to watch them - they look very pecurliar: impressive, even intimidating, but also comical. The photos here were all taken in the Kruger National Park. Fortunately it is easy to photograph ground hornbills: they often walk beside or even on roads, and are not afraid of people or cars at all. We took most of these photographs from rather close. The photo above is a close-up shot of a classy lady ground hornbill - one can tell her gender by the bit of blue skin beneath her throat. Aside from this difference, the ladies as well as the gents have equally bright colours, equally big bills, equally big bits of bare skin and pouches on the head and neck, and equally long, black eyelashes. The young of either genders look the same - the bare skin is dull yellowish or greyish red. The bright colours only develop with sexual maturity.

For those who don't know them well - ground hornbills are particularly large birds, about the size of farm turkeys - but not as heavy. They reach a mass of about six kilograms. They can fly, and fairly well too, if necessary. Usually though they walk around with stiff-legged steps across the ground. They walk on their toes to boot, with the 'sole' of the foot lifted high off the ground. The result is a stately step, that gives an impression of justified arrogance.

Just to make sure nobody misunderstands here - these birds are not at all closely related to turkeys. As their name suggests, they are in fact hornbills - indeed the largest of all the hornbill species. They are much more ground-living than the others, as a result of their size. There is in fact two ground hornbill species - this one is the Southern Ground Hornbill, Bucorvus leadbeateri, with a distribution that stretches from the Eastern Cape in South Africa to Kenya in East Africa, in savannah regions - they are absent from the Kalahari- and Namib Deserts, and also from the Congo Basin. From Kenya on, northwards, one finds the Northern Ground Hornbill, Bucorvus abyssinicus. Its distribution stretches northwards to Ethiopia, and westwards always north of the rainforest region and always south of the Sahara Desert, up to the West-African coast.

Op die prentjie hierbo is die dame links, en die heer regs. Vergelyk die twee, en let ook op hoe hulle hulleself hoog lig op hulle tone. Verder lyk dit hier asof die liggaamsvere van bromvoëls heeltemal swart is. Dit is egter nie die geval nie - die primêre vere van die vlerk is wit. Dit kan 'n mens egter slegs sien wanneer hulle vlieg, omdat die vlugvere andersins onder die dekvere van die vlerk ingevou is.

Bromvoëls is inderdaad nogal gevaarlike voëls, veral vir hulle prooi. Daardie lang, krom snawel is 'n gedugte wapen, wat hulle baie behendig kan aanwend. Hulle prooi wissel van termiete tot groot skilpaaie en selfs soogdiere soos hase. Wanneer hulle groot, vinnige of gevaarlike prooi jag, werk hulle saam - hulle kom gewoonlik in groepe van tot 11 indiwidue voor. Om 'n slang te vang sprei hulle hulle vlerke sywaarts uit en vorm 'n sirkel daarrondom. Die lengte van die snawel stel hulle in staat om die slang dood te pik sonder dat dit maklik hulle koppe kan wond. Hulle gebruik hulle snawels ook om in die grond mee te grawe op soek na ongewerweldes, paddas, of die heuning, korwe en larwas van grond-nesmakende bye en wespe. Dikwels krap hulle ook rond in mis, veral olifantmis, op soek na miskruiers of hulle larwes. Soms eet bromvoëls aas.

Anders as by die ander neushoringvoëlsoorte messel bromvoëlmans nie hulle vroue in boomholtes toe nie. Die holtes waarin hulle nesmaak bly oop. Die man, asook ander lede van die groep, bring gereeld vir haar kos terwyl sy broei, en soms verlaat sy selfs haar nes ter wille van persoonlike versorging, bene rek, en soms om 'n bietjie kos vir haarself te kry.

Alhoewel bromvoëlmas altyd twee eiers lê, gebeur dit ook altyd in die natuur dat slegs een oorleef. Die kuiken bly omtrent drie maande in die nes, waarna dit by die groep aansluit. Dit bly in dieselfde groep totdat dit volwasse is, ongeveer teen die ouderdom van 4 tot 6 jaar. Ons weet nog nie presies hoe lank 'n bromvoël kan lewe nie, maar alles dui daarop dat dit waarskynlik lank is. Hulle teel stadig aan - benewens die feit dat hulle lank vat om volwasse te word, en dat daar gewoonlik net een vrou per groep is wat broei, en dat sy slegs een kuiken per broeislag grootmaak, broei groepe nie eers noodwendig elke jaar nie. Kuikens word ook bedreig deur 'n aantal vyande, insluitende kat- en slangsoorte. Gemiddeld neem dit elke groep ietwat meer as nege jaar om een kuiken suskesvol groot te maak.

On the picture above the lady is on the left and the gent on the right. Compare the two, and also note how they hold themseves high on their toes. Also note that it looks here as if the body feathers are all black. It is not the case though - the primary feathers of the wings are white. One can only see that when they fly, because the flight feathers are otherwise folded below the wing coverts.

Ground hornbills are indeed fairly dangerous birds, especially for their prey. That long, curved bill is a formidable weapon, which they can apply very deftly. Their prey varies from termites to big tortoises and even mammals like hares. When they hunt large, fast or dangerous prey, they co-operate - they usually occur in groups of two to 11 individuals. To catch a snake they spread their wings out sideways and form a circle around it. The length of the bill then enables them to peck the snake to death without it being easily able to wound their heads. They also use their bills to dig around in the ground with in search of invertebrates, frogs, or the honey, combs and larvae of ground-nesting bees and wasps. They also regularly probe aroind in dung, especially elephant dung, to look for dung beetles or their larvae. Sometimes ground hornbills eat carrion.

Unlike those of the other hornbill species, the ground hornbill husbands don't wall up their wives in tree cavities. The hollows in which they nest stay open. The husband, as well as other members of the group, regularly bring food to her while she incubates, and sometimes she even leaves her nest for the sake of personal hygiene, leg-stretching, and to find some food for herself.

Although ground hornbill mothers always lay two eggs, it also always happens in nature that only one chick survives. The chick stays in the nest for about three months, after which it joins the group. It stays in the group until is is adult, at about the age of 4 to 6 years. We still don't know how long they live, but all indicates that it is probably quite long. They proliferate slowly - aside from the fact that they take long to mature, and that there's usually only one breeding female per group, and that she only raises one chick per breeding attempt, groups don't even necessarily breed every year. Chicks are also threatened by a number of predators, including cat- and snake species. On average it takes every group a bit over nine years to successfully raise a single chick.

Hier is 'n nabyskoot van 'n bromvoëlheer. Let op die helm bo-op die snawel, en let ook op die gaping in die middelste deel van die snawel. Dit is om die hefkrag te vermeerder wat by die punt van die snawel uitgeoefen kan word.

Die groot rooi keelsak het 'n funksie: dit help die bromvoëls om 'n besondere diep roep te maak, waarvandaan hulle hulle Afrikaanse naam dan ook kry. Hierdie geluid klink dunner en blikkeriger van naby as van ver - dit dra tot vyf kilometer, al is dit nie besonder hard nie. Dit is die diepte van die klank wat dit die drakrag gee. Die geluid klink op 'n afstand nogal soos die brul van 'n leeu. Om 'n bromvoël met 'n leeu te verwar is nie so 'n groot probleem soos die teendeel nie - soos wat 'n voëlliefhebber tot sy skok agtergekom het toe hy, onder die indruk dat hy 'n bromvoël nader, op 'n leeuwyfie afgekom het!

Here is a close-up shot of a ground hornbill gent. Note the casque on top of the bill, and also note the gap in the middle part of the bill. It exists to increase the leverage force that can be exerted at the tip of the bill.

The big red throat pouch has a function: it helps the birds to give a particularly deep, booming call, from which they get their Afrikaans name. This call sounds thinner and tinnier from close than from afar - it carries up to five kilometres, although it is not very loud. It is the deepness of the sound that gives it its carrying power. From a distance the call sounds rather like the roar of a lion. To mistake a hornbill for a lion is not as big a problem as is the opposite - as a bird lover realised to his shock when, under the impression that he was approaching a hornbill, he stumbled upon a lioness!

Bromvoëls verkeer onder besondere druk as gevolg van menslike aktiwiteite. Om voort te plant, het hulle bome nodig - groot bome, met groot holtes in die stamme of krone. Aangesien al hoe meer bome in savannestreke in Afrika afgekap word vir hout (veral brandhout) of om plek te maak vir landbougewasse, is daar al minder nesmaakplek vir die bromvoëls. Verder sterf baie van hulle deurdat hulle vergiftigde aas eet wat deur boere vir jakkalse, rooikatte of ander roofdiere uitgesit word. In beboude gebiede word bromvoëls soms deur mense vervolg omdat hulle die vensters van huise aanval - hulle sien hulle eie weerkaatsings daarin en pik die ruite dan stukkend onder indruk dat dit 'n ander, onbekende voël is. Hierdie gedrag kan egter verhinder word deur die vensters te verf of gaasdraad daarvoor te sit.

Nog 'n probleem waaronder ook die bromvoëls ly is die oorloë in Afrika. Omdat hulle met hulle stewige snawels diep in die grond rondpik, loop hulle gevaar om deur ondergrondse landmyne opgeblaas te word. Die feit dat voëls soos bromvoëls onder die slagoffers tel behoort te wys hoe destruktief hierdie oorloë is. Dit is maar 'n paar mense wat die mag het, en 'n paar mense wat die mag by hulle wil oorneem ... maar in die spervuur sterf derduisende en dermiljoene mense en ander wesens wat eintlik niks met die geskil te make het nie.

Daar is darem projekte aan die gang om die getalle van die bromvoëls 'n bietjie te verhoog. Soos ek gesê het, lê bromvoëls gewoonlik twee eiers, maar maak slegs een kuiken groot. Deur een van die eiers uit die nes te haal en die kuiken hans groot te maak, terwyl die ma die ander kuiken grootmaak, kan natuurbewaarders help sorg dat meer kuikens volwassenheid bereik. Daarvoor moet die hans-grootgemaakte kuikens so natuurlik as moontlik opgevoed word sodat hulle nie aanpassingsprobleme in die bosveld sal hê wanneer hulle vir hulleself moet sorg nie. Handpoppe wat soos volwasse voëls lyk word gebruik om die kuikens mee te voer, sodat hulle nie te gewoond aan mense sal raak nie en hulleself steeds as deel van hul eie spesie sal beskou. Hierdie projek, hoofsaaklik in Suid-Afrika, is nog in sy beginstadium en dis nie duidelik hoe suksesvol dit sal wees nie.

Dit bring ons by die einde - ek hoop julle het hierdie webblad geniet! Ek gaan dit weldra waarskynlik ietwat verander. Ek sal definitief so met die verloop van tyd na ander webblaaie oor bromvoëls kyk, en ek sal hier onder skakels insit na die verskillende plekke toe, en sommer ook iets sê oor daardie ander blaaie. Ek sal veral die lesers op die hoogte probeer hou van die stand van die bewaring van die bromvoëls.

Ground hornbills are under considerable pressure as a result of human activities. To reproduce they need trees - big trees, with big cavities in the trunks and crowns. Since more and more trees in the savannah regions of Africa are being cut down for wood (especially firewood) or to make room for agricultural crops, there are ever-fewer nesting places for the ground hornbills. Also, many of them die from eating poisoned bait farmers put out for jackals, caracals or other predators. In areas with buildings they are sometimes directly persecuted by humans because they attack house windows - they see their own reflections and peck the panes to pieces under the impression that it is another, strange bird. This behaviour can be prevented by painting the windows, or by putting wire netting in front of them.

Another problem under which also the ground hornbills suffer is the warfare in Africa. Because they peck deeply into the ground with their sturdy bills, they are at risk of being blown up by buried land mines. The fact that birds such as hornbills count among the victims should show just how destructive these wars are. It is only a few people who have the power, and a few people who want to take the power from them - but in the crossfire die thousands and millions of humans and other beings who actually have nothing to do with the dispute.

At least there are a few projects in motion for boosting the numbers of the ground hornbills. As I said, they usually lay two eggs, but only raise a single chick. By removing one of the eggs from the nest and raising the chick by hand, while the mother raises the other chick, conservationists can help assure that more chicks reach adulthood. For that the hand-raised chicks need to be raised as naturally as possible so that they will not have adaptation problems when they are released into the bushveld to fend for themselves. Puppets that look like adult birds are used to feed the chicks, so that they don't become too used to humans still consider themselves members of their own species. This project, mainly in South Africa, is still in its beginning phase and it is not clear how successful it will be.

That brings me to the end - I hope you enjoyed this web page! I will eventually, probably, change it a bit. I will definitely as time goes by be looking at other web pages about ground hornbills, and I will put in links here to the different places, and also say a few things about those other pages. Most of all I will try to keep readers up to date on the conservation status of the ground hornbills.