An African perspective to biodiversity conservation in the twenty-first century.

Africa boasts high biodiversity while also being home to some of the largest and fastest-growing human populations. Although the current environmental footprint of Africa is low compared to other continents, the population of Africa is estimated at around 1.5 billion inhabitants, representing nearly 18% of the world's total population.

Assessing sex differences in behavioural flexibility in an endangered bird species: the Southern ground-hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri).

Since ecology influences the expression of cognitive traits, intra-specific variation in ecological demands can drive differences in cognition. This is often the case, for instance, when sexes face different ecological challenges. However, so far, most studies have focused on few cognitive domains (i.

Assessing the spontaneous use of human-given cues in ground-hornbills.

A wide range of species relies on heterospecific visual cues to detect the location of resources like food. Although different hypotheses have been suggested to explain the emergence of this capacity in animals, results are often difficult to interpret due to the influence of other factors, such as close contact with humans. In this study, we presented eight Southern ground-hornbills (Bucorvus leadbeateri) with a two-way object-choice paradigm.

Through the eyes of a hunter: assessing perception and exclusion performance in ground-hornbills.

Logical inference, once strictly associated with spoken language, is now reported in some non-human animals. One aspect of logical inference, reasoning by exclusion, has been traditionally explored through the use of the cups task (cup A and cup B, if not cup A, then exclude cup A and select cup B). However, to fully understand the factors that drove the evolution of logical processes in animals, this latter paradigm needs to cover a taxonomically broader spectrum of species.

Social diffusion of new foraging techniques in the Southern ground-hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri).

Social learning during foraging has been found in a wide range of animals, including numerous bird species. Still, the mechanisms underlying this cognitive capacity remain largely unstudied and the use of divergent methods limits our understanding of their taxonomic distribution. Using an ecologically relevant design, the open diffusion experiment, we tested whether 11 Southern ground-hornbills (Bucorvus leadbeateri) were able to show imitation on the two-action task.

Endocrine correlates of gender and throat coloration in the southern ground-hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri).

The southern ground-hornbill (SGH) is a cooperatively breeding bird endemic to eastern and southern Africa, but is endangered in its southern distributional range. The national conservation restoration program harvests redundant chicks for captive breeding and reintroduction; with sexing and social grouping of the species evaluated by throat-skin coloration, with adult males displaying a completely red color compared to dark blue within the red observed in adult females. However, recent findings indicate that dominant and subordinate adult males exhibit patches of blue throat-skin.

Lead Toxicosis in a Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri in South Africa.

The southern ground hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) has been classified as globally vulnerable and, in South Africa, regionally endangered, with a negative population trend. Factors contributing to the population decline in South Africa are poisoning, electrocution, and illegal capture for trade, coupled with slow reproductive rates and extensive habitat requirements. Lead toxicosis is a previously undescribed threat for the population.