Sylvicapra grimmia 

Scope: Global
Language: English

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Animalia Chordata Mammalia Cetartiodactyla Bovidae

Scientific Name: Sylvicapra grimmia
Species Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common Name(s):
English Common Duiker, Bush Duiker, Grey Duiker
French Céphalophe de Grimm, Céphalophe du Cap
Capra grimmia Linnaeus, 1758
Taxonomic Notes: Fourteen subspecies were recognized by Grubb and Groves (2001) and Wilson (2013). Distribution is continuous, there are many cases of intergradation and geographical boundaries between forms have not been delineated accurately. Only the species is assessed here.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published: 2016
Date Assessed: 2016-01-07
Assessor(s): IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group
The species is confirmed Least Concern because it is widespread and common, with a total population size estimated in the millions. Despite localised declines, the Common Duiker should continue to exist in large numbers over much of its current range for the foreseeable future. Its overall conservation status is unlikely to change.
Previously published Red List assessments:

Geographic Range [top]

Countries occurrence:
Possibly extinct:
Additional data:
Upper elevation limit (metres):5600
Range Map:Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:East (1999) indicated that aerial surveys generally produce estimates of population density in the range 0.01-0.15/km², but that these surveys underestimate numbers of this small, secretive species by a large but unknown factor. Ground surveys in areas where the Common Duiker is common often produce density estimates of the order 0.3-1.7/km². Wilson (2001) summarizes some recorded densities of Common Duiker from various localities in Africa in different vegetation types using line transects.

East (1999) proposed an estimated total population of 1,660,000. This is probably a very conservative figure, and Wilson (2013) suggested it was more likely to be in the order of 10 million. The population trend is probably stable over extensive parts of the species’ range, but decreasing in areas where hunting pressures are extremely high and in marginal parts of its range such as Gabon and Niger.
Current Population Trend:Decreasing
Additional data:
Population severely fragmented:No

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:Found south of the Sahara, virtually everywhere there is cover, except in rainforest and desert. Typically a savanna woodland species, but often found in relatively open country and even extends into the alpine zone in some mountainous areas such as on Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro (Wilson 2013). It shows a high level of adaptability to habitat modifications caused by the spread of agricultural settlement, and it frequently survives in good numbers wherever there is low secondary growth. They have a very varied diet of foliage, herbs, fruits, seeds, and cultivated crops (Wilson 2013).
Generation Length (years):4.9

Use and Trade [top]

Use and Trade: The species is hunted for bushmeat.

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s): While there are localised declines in places with very intense hunting, the Common Duiker does not seem to have any serious threats to its survival. Its resiliency to hunting, and adaptability, have enabled it to persist widely in human-dominated landscapes, often in close proximity to settlement.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: The Common Duiker is well represented in a large number of protected areas from Senegal to South Africa, and is also well represented on private land.

Citation: IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group. 2016. Sylvicapra grimmia. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T21203A50194717. . Downloaded on 20 July 2017.