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Blood River Vlei (Central) (27503035)
KwaZulu-Natal
CWAC status	REGISTERED-COUNTED REGULARLY
Authority	Private
Management status	PRIVATE LAND
Conservation status	UNPROTECTED
IBA information
Ramsar information
Heritage information
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Information
Date_registered
1997-02-10
Brief_description
An important wetland for water purification and streamflow regulation. Extensive reedmarsh/sedgemarsh occurs above the breached dam wall, and downstream at the Lynspruit confluence; it also has open water and wet grassland habitats. It supports good populations of waterfowl, shorebirds (including Ethiopian Snipe) and other waterbirds. Existing counts are too few to highlight the site's importance; other studies confirm the occurrence of significant numbers of Little Bittern and secretive rails. Dam wall building is a serious threat; gulley erosion is a potential threat; minor threats include drainage and agricultural development.

Spp	Common name	Taxonomic name	Min	Avg	Max	Subregional IBA	RAMSAR
72		Scopus umbretta	1	1.30	3
256		Calidris pugnax	2	8.57	34
67	Bittern, Little	Ixobrychus minutus	1	1.00	1
212	Coot, Red-knobbed	Fulica cristata	16	333.44	951
50	Cormorant, Reed	Microcarbo africanus	2	16.96	65
47	Cormorant, White-breasted	Phalacrocorax lucidus	1	5.09	15
202	Crake, Baillon's	Zaporina pusilla	2	2.00	2
203	Crake, Black	Zaporina flavirostra	1	2.20	4
216	Crane, Blue	Grus paradisea	1	17.50	34
214	Crane, Grey Crowned	Balearica regulorum	3	82.13	282		80
215	Crane, Wattled	Grus carunculata	1	1.25	2		2
52	Darter, African	Anhinga rufa	1	3.59	15
95	Duck, African Black	Anas sparsa	1	1.00	1
101	Duck, Fulvous Whistling	Dendrocygna bicolor	2	5.33	8
91	Duck, Knob-billed	Sarkidiornis melanotos	1	7.57	15
104	Duck, White-backed	Thalassornis leuconotus	2	6.50	20
100	Duck, White-faced Whistling	Dendrocygna viduata	1	26.42	150
96	Duck, Yellow-billed	Anas undulata	9	105.54	434
58	Egret, Great	Ardea alba	1	3.40	8
60	Egret, Intermediate [x]	Ardea intermedia	1	4.75	30
59	Egret, Little	Egretta garzetta	1	2.00	6
61	Egret, Western Cattle	Bubulcus ibis	2	85.30	294
149	Fish Eagle, African	Haliaeetus vocifer	1	1.09	2
86	Flamingo, Greater	Phoenicopterus roseus	5	5.00	5
205	Flufftail, Red-chested	Sarothrura rufa	1	3.20	5
10004	Goose, Domestic	Anser anser domesticus	12	18.71	22
89	Goose, Egyptian	Alopochen aegyptiaca	2	484.46	1322
88	Goose, Spur-winged	Plectropterus gambensis	9	621.64	2336	1875	710
6	Grebe, Little	Tachybaptus ruficollis	4	20.23	55
263	Greenshank, Common	Tringa nebularia	1	2.71	6
288	Gull, Grey-headed	Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus	2	2.00	2
167	Harrier, African Marsh	Circus ranivorus	1	2.00	4
64	Heron, Black	Egretta ardesiaca	2	5.00	8
55	Heron, Black-headed	Ardea melanocephala	1	6.39	18
56	Heron, Goliath	Ardea goliath	1	1.72	5
54	Heron, Grey	Ardea cinerea	1	3.71	9
57	Heron, Purple	Ardea purpurea	1	3.57	18
62	Heron, Squacco	Ardeola ralloides	1	4.57	16
81	Ibis, African Sacred	Threskiornis aethiopicus	2	14.27	85
83	Ibis, Glossy	Plegadis falcinellus	1	9.16	25
84	Ibis, Hadada	Bostrychia hagedash	7	25.65	98
228	Jacana, African	Actophilornis africanus	1	5.62	15
229	Jacana, Lesser	Microparra capensis	1	1.25	2
395	Kingfisher, Giant	Megaceryle maxima	1	1.00	1
397	Kingfisher, Malachite	Corythornis cristatus	1	1.50	3
394	Kingfisher, Pied	Ceryle rudis	1	2.50	7
247	Lapwing, African Wattled	Vanellus senegallus	1	4.54	16
245	Lapwing, Blacksmith	Vanellus armatus	3	31.69	118
509	Martin, Brown-throated	Riparia paludicola	1	1.00	1
210	Moorhen, Common	Gallinula chloropus	1	12.13	37
69	Night Heron, Black-crowned	Nycticorax nycticorax	2	2.00	2
361	Owl, Marsh	Asio capensis	1	1.25	2
233	Plover, Common Ringed	Charadrius hiaticula	1	1.50	2
237	Plover, Kittlitz's	Charadrius pecuarius	1	4.08	11
238	Plover, Three-banded	Charadrius tricollaris	1	12.46	51
102	Pochard, Southern	Netta erythrophthalma	1	9.12	45
197	Rail, African	Rallus caerulescens	1	6.70	19		-1
258	Sandpiper, Common	Actitis hypoleucos	1	4.75	9
251	Sandpiper, Curlew	Calidris ferruginea	13	13.00	13
262	Sandpiper, Marsh	Tringa stagnatilis	1	3.00	4
264	Sandpiper, Wood	Tringa glareola	1	11.13	85
90	Shelduck, South African	Tadorna cana	2	4.33	11
94	Shoveler, Cape	Anas smithii	4	15.25	39
250	Snipe, African	Gallinago nigripennis	1	14.22	39
85	Spoonbill, African	Platalea alba	1	3.64	7
270	Stilt, Black-winged	Himantopus himantopus	2	2.71	4
253	Stint, Little	Calidris minuta	2	9.00	38
76	Stork, Yellow-billed	Mycteria ibis	1	1.00	1
208	Swamphen, African	Porphyrio madagascariensis	1	5.06	16
99	Teal, Blue-billed	Anas hottentota	2	10.82	26
98	Teal, Cape	Anas capensis	4	4.00	4
97	Teal, Red-billed	Anas erythrorhyncha	2	16.41	63
305	Tern, Whiskered	Chlidonias hybrida	1	5.75	10
10008	Wader, Unidentified	N/A N/A	1	3.42	5
686	Wagtail, Cape	Motacilla capensis	3	14.44	35
689	Wagtail, Western Yellow	Motacilla flava	2	2.33	3

Sunday 14 December 2025 11:57
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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Blood River Vlei (Central) (27503035)

KwaZulu-Natal

Information