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Umgeni River Estuary (29493102)
KwaZulu-Natal
CWAC status	REGISTERED-COUNTED REGULARLY
Authority	Private
Management status	UNKNOWN
Conservation status	UNPROTECTED
IBA information
Ramsar information
Heritage information
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Information
Date_registered
1993-01-10
Brief_description
An open estuary with mud, sandbanks, and some patches of reeds, sedges and grass. A good site for concentrations of shorebirds and terns; the relatively high counts in summer reflect the abundance of these migratory species. Nationally significant numbers of Greyheaded Gull are recorded in summer; Kelp Gull is most numerous in winter. Relatively few waterfowl occur. Numbers of cormorants, ibises and Darter peak in winter; White Pelican is recorded only on summer counts, and Blacksmith Plover and Swift Tern are common in summer and winter. Woollynecked Stork, Whitefronted Plover, African Black Oystercatcher and Caspian Tern are recorded. Boating and water skiing are critical threats, while a severe threat is posed by industrial and domestic pollution; domestic dogs are also a problem.

Spp	Common name	Taxonomic name	Min	Avg	Max	Subregional IBA	RAMSAR
256		Calidris pugnax	1	4.00	12
1016		Anas platyrhynchos	2	2.00	2
273		Dromas ardeola	1	1.00	1
72		Scopus umbretta	1	1.69	4
255		Calidris alba	1	30.93	97
4136	Black-backed Gull, Lesser	Larus fuscus	1	1.00	1
48	Cormorant, Cape	Phalacrocorax capensis	1	11.82	60
50	Cormorant, Reed	Microcarbo africanus	1	5.81	37
47	Cormorant, White-breasted	Phalacrocorax lucidus	1	19.52	76
52	Darter, African	Anhinga rufa	1	2.85	8
95	Duck, African Black	Anas sparsa	1	1.00	1
100	Duck, White-faced Whistling	Dendrocygna viduata	1	8.27	25
96	Duck, Yellow-billed	Anas undulata	1	3.47	11
58	Egret, Great	Ardea alba	1	2.67	8
60	Egret, Intermediate [x]	Ardea intermedia	2	3.50	5
59	Egret, Little	Egretta garzetta	1	5.63	16
61	Egret, Western Cattle	Bubulcus ibis	1	3.25	10
149	Fish Eagle, African	Haliaeetus vocifer	1	1.47	4
86	Flamingo, Greater	Phoenicopterus roseus	1	1.33	2
89	Goose, Egyptian	Alopochen aegyptiaca	2	20.40	88
88	Goose, Spur-winged	Plectropterus gambensis	1	4.43	12
263	Greenshank, Common	Tringa nebularia	1	12.88	39
288	Gull, Grey-headed	Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus	1	154.95	831	500
289	Gull, Hartlaub's	Chroicocephalus hartlaubii	1	1.00	1
287	Gull, Kelp	Larus dominicanus	1	19.11	120
64	Heron, Black	Egretta ardesiaca	1	1.00	1
55	Heron, Black-headed	Ardea melanocephala	1	2.08	20
56	Heron, Goliath	Ardea goliath	1	1.89	5
54	Heron, Grey	Ardea cinerea	3	13.08	26
14879	Heron, Little	Butorides atricapilla	2	2.00	2
57	Heron, Purple	Ardea purpurea	1	1.89	4
62	Heron, Squacco	Ardeola ralloides	1	1.50	2
63	Heron, Striated (NOTE: use Little Heron)	Butorides striata	1	1.75	4
81	Ibis, African Sacred	Threskiornis aethiopicus	1	40.43	192
83	Ibis, Glossy	Plegadis falcinellus	1	1.00	1
84	Ibis, Hadada	Bostrychia hagedash	1	11.69	41
228	Jacana, African	Actophilornis africanus	1	1.50	3
395	Kingfisher, Giant	Megaceryle maxima	1	1.54	3
397	Kingfisher, Malachite	Corythornis cristatus	1	1.35	5
400	Kingfisher, Mangrove	Halcyon senegaloides	1	1.00	1
394	Kingfisher, Pied	Ceryle rudis	1	4.95	13
247	Lapwing, African Wattled	Vanellus senegallus	1	1.00	1
245	Lapwing, Blacksmith	Vanellus armatus	14	61.97	125
509	Martin, Brown-throated	Riparia paludicola	1	1.00	1
210	Moorhen, Common	Gallinula chloropus	1	1.00	1
69	Night Heron, Black-crowned	Nycticorax nycticorax	1	1.00	1
172	Osprey, Western	Pandion haliaetus	1	1.16	2
231	Oystercatcher, African	Haematopus moquini	1	1.75	3
42	Pelican, Great White	Pelecanus onocrotalus	1	15.00	53
41	Pelican, Pink-backed	Pelecanus rufescens	1	6.38	70
233	Plover, Common Ringed	Charadrius hiaticula	1	37.70	97
241	Plover, Grey	Pluvialis squatarola	1	3.09	8
237	Plover, Kittlitz's	Charadrius pecuarius	1	6.00	16
238	Plover, Three-banded	Charadrius tricollaris	1	8.12	70
235	Plover, White-fronted	Charadrius marginatus	1	11.43	48
258	Sandpiper, Common	Actitis hypoleucos	1	4.40	21
251	Sandpiper, Curlew	Calidris ferruginea	5	189.48	631
262	Sandpiper, Marsh	Tringa stagnatilis	1	2.25	6
257	Sandpiper, Terek	Xenus cinereus	1	2.00	4
264	Sandpiper, Wood	Tringa glareola	1	3.56	17
90	Shelduck, South African	Tadorna cana	1	1.83	3
94	Shoveler, Cape	Anas smithii	2	2.00	2
85	Spoonbill, African	Platalea alba	1	2.75	13
270	Stilt, Black-winged	Himantopus himantopus	1	1.00	1
253	Stint, Little	Calidris minuta	1	46.22	288
14836	Stork, Africa Woolly-necked	Ciconia microscelis	3	4.00	5
73	Stork, Marabou	Leptoptilos crumenifer	1	1.00	1
77	Stork, Woolly-necked	Ciconia episcopus	1	5.91	26
208	Swamphen, African	Porphyrio madagascariensis	1	1.00	1
97	Teal, Red-billed	Anas erythrorhyncha	12	12.00	12
294	Tern, Arctic	Sterna paradisaea	30	30.00	30
290	Tern, Caspian	Hydroprogne caspia	1	2.52	10
291	Tern, Common	Sterna hirundo	1	147.73	650
298	Tern, Greater Crested	Thalasseus bergii	1	76.90	307	250	200
297	Tern, Lesser Crested	Thalasseus bengalensis	1	2.00	4
299	Tern, Little	Sternula albifrons	1	38.73	270
296	Tern, Sandwich	Thalasseus sandvicensis	1	6.06	28
295	Tern, Sooty	Onychoprion fuscatus	1	1.00	1
304	Tern, White-winged	Chlidonias leucopterus	3	76.20	235
274	Thick-knee, Water	Burhinus vermiculatus	1	8.38	20
232	Turnstone, Ruddy	Arenaria interpres	1	1.50	2
10008	Wader, Unidentified	N/A N/A	1	1.00	1
685	Wagtail, African Pied	Motacilla aguimp	1	2.25	5
686	Wagtail, Cape	Motacilla capensis	1	2.68	9
268	Whimbrel, Eurasian	Numenius phaeopus	1	9.92	60

Monday 20 July 2026 02:50
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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Umgeni River Estuary (29493102)

KwaZulu-Natal

Information