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The regional population of African Broadbill Smithornis capensis exceeds the thresholds for regionally Vulnerable under the population-size criterion (less than 10 000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be greater than 10% in 10 years or three generations).
The African Broadbill is endemic to the Afrotropics with isolated populations occurring in West Africa from Sierra Leone to northern Angola, with the species more widespread in east, central and southern Africa (Vernon and Dean 2005). In southern Africa, it occurs from the Okavango Delta, Botswana, and the Caprivi, Namibia, in the west, to the middle Zambezi Valley and the eastern slopes of Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands to southern Mozambique in the east (Vernon and Dean 2005). The only recent records in Swaziland are from Hlane Royal National Park.
In South Africa, the distribution is highly fragmented with scattered populations in north-eastern Limpopo, Swaziland and north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal, and southwards to the Port Shepstone region in southern KwaZulu-Natal (Allan 2000). In Limpopo, Tarboton, Kemp and Kemp (1987) mentioned two records from Venda: one from Thate Vondo Forest and another from the Mutshindudu River Valley, but there are no recent records from these localities. The species was not recorded in Limpopo during SABAP1 and this sub-population was only ‘rediscovered' in 1999, near Luvhuvu (Symes and Perrin 2000). The Limpopo sub-population appears to be restricted to the Luvhuvu River catchment and is known from Roodewal, Entabeni, Luvhuvu and Golwe.
In KwaZulu-Natal, there has been a range reduction in the extreme north of the province. The species still appears to be common in the St. Lucia, Hluhluwe and Mfolozi areas. The nominate race appears to have disappeared from much of its former range around Durban and much of the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, having only been recorded at four isolated localities during SABAP2: Oribi Gorge, Vernon Crookes, Entumeni and Nhlabane.
The global population has not been quantified, but is believed to number greater than 10 000 mature individuals. At first glance, the increased EoO estimate derived from SABAP2 suggests a range expansion of the regional population, due to the rediscovery of an isolated population in north-eastern Limpopo in the late 1990s (Symes and Perrin 2000) which was not included in Allan's (2000) assessment. No regional population estimate is provided by Allan (2000) or Vernon and Dean (2005), but it is estimated that less than 2 500 mature individuals currently occur in the region. The confidence in this regional population estimate is medium.
The status of the global population is unknown. A comparison of SABAP1 and SABAP2 reporting rates shows that during SABAP2 data gathering, the species was not reported from 16 of the quarter-degree grid cells in which it was recorded in SABAP1, and there is a higher reporting rate in SABAP1 compared to SABAP2 in five quarter-degree grid cells. Conversely, African Broadbills were recorded in nine quarter-degree grid cells in SABAP2, from which it was not reported during SABAP1. Three of these are from the population in north-eastern Limpopo. The AoO gives a clearer indication, showing a c. 13% decrease in AoO compared to the most recent regional assessment (Allan 2000). Based upon this, a downward population trend is inferred which is estimated to be greater than 10% over the next three generations (16.6 years). Confidence in this regional population trend estimate is medium.
The major threat is habitat destruction through rural and urban expansion and agriculture. This has led to the disappearance of the nominate race from much of its former range in KwaZulu-Natal. Locally, commercial and subsistence deforestation cause habitat destruction. At Golwe, in north-eastern Limpopo, breeding success is poor (Engelbrecht and Nethonzhe 2008) and vervet monkeys Chlorocebus pygerythrus attracted to the edges of villages are responsible for the loss of the majority of nests (GD Engelbrecht and C Nethonzhe, unpubl. data).
No species-specific conservation measures are currently underway. Research on the ecology, distribution and conservation of the north-eastern Limpopo population is being conducted by the University of Limpopo.
A Species Action Plan is recommended. All known populations should be monitored on an annual basis, to form the basis for conservation actions. The continuous fragmentation of existing habitat needs to be monitored and, wherever possible halted or reversed as a matter of urgency. Urgent conservation action is also required for the species in KwaZulu-Natal, and particularly concerning the nominate race in the southern parts of the species' range.
* An intensive field survey of all areas in which the African Broadbill was historically recorded, including all the quarter-degree grid cells in which the species was recorded during SABAP1, is required.
* An investigation into the habitat requirements of both subspecies is required.
* An investigation into the causes of population decreases, aside from habitat loss and fragmentation, should be launched.
* An assessment of minimum viable population sizes, fragmentation effects, meta-population dynamics, dispersal mechanisms and connectivity corridors between habitat patches would be beneficial.