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Paarl Bird Sanctuary (33411858)
Western Cape
CWAC status	REGISTERED-COUNTED REGULARLY
Authority	Private
Management status	TOWN COUNCIL PROPERTY
Conservation status	PROTECTED
IBA information
Ramsar information
Heritage information
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Information
Date_registered
1993-01-16
Brief_description
Maturation ponds; small areas of fringing Typha and Phragmites; some muddy substrate. Good variety of waterbirds; high summer counts of Dabchick, Sacred Ibis, Redbilled Teal, Cape Shoveller (nationally significant), Maccoa Duck (breeds), and Whitewinged Tern (globally significant); high winter counts of Grey Heron, Lesser Flamingo (1993 only), Blackwinged Stilt, and Greyheaded and Hartlaub''s Gulls (breed; site globally significant for Hartlaub''s). Cormorants, Darter, Little and Cattle Egrets, Grey and Blackheaded Herons, and Blackcrowned Night Heron, all breed. High biomass in winter 1993 due to Lesser Flamingo and gulls. Little habitat for secretive rails, but Baillon''s Crake has occurred. Threats include spread of nearby squatter camp, livestock grazing/trampling, illegal hunting/trapping, fires and spread of Myriophyllum aquaticum.

Spp	Common name	Taxonomic name	Min	Avg	Max	IBA	Subregional IBA	RAMSAR
1016		Anas platyrhynchos	1	2.96	12
72		Scopus umbretta	1	1.07	2
256		Calidris pugnax	1	3.00	14
269	Avocet, Pied	Recurvirostra avosetta	1	20.48	218		125	190
67	Bittern, Little	Ixobrychus minutus	1	1.36	4
1027	Booby, Red-footed	Sula sula	134	134.00	134
212	Coot, Red-knobbed	Fulica cristata	4	88.88	365
48	Cormorant, Cape	Phalacrocorax capensis	3	36.00	69
51	Cormorant, Crowned	Microcarbo coronatus	18	18.00	18
50	Cormorant, Reed	Microcarbo africanus	1	19.44	183
47	Cormorant, White-breasted	Phalacrocorax lucidus	1	37.03	167			130
199	Crake, African	Crex egregia	1	2.71	9			-1
202	Crake, Baillon's	Zaporina pusilla	1	3.50	6
203	Crake, Black	Zaporina flavirostra	1	2.30	10
52	Darter, African	Anhinga rufa	1	23.32	158
95	Duck, African Black	Anas sparsa	1	3.44	12
10006	Duck, Domestic	Anas platyrhynchos domesticus	1	1.42	3
101	Duck, Fulvous Whistling	Dendrocygna bicolor	1	3.06	16
10005	Duck, Hybrid	Anas hybrid	1	1.50	2
91	Duck, Knob-billed	Sarkidiornis melanotos	2	2.00	2
103	Duck, Maccoa	Oxyura maccoa	1	14.29	235		215	75
10014	Duck, Unidentified	Anas sp.	1	15.29	91
104	Duck, White-backed	Thalassornis leuconotus	1	6.46	60
100	Duck, White-faced Whistling	Dendrocygna viduata	1	18.92	360
96	Duck, Yellow-billed	Anas undulata	1	30.09	133
58	Egret, Great	Ardea alba	1	12.63	80
60	Egret, Intermediate [x]	Ardea intermedia	1	2.61	19
59	Egret, Little	Egretta garzetta	1	3.82	71
982	Egret, Slaty	Egretta vinaceigula	61	103.00	145	80	40	40
61	Egret, Western Cattle	Bubulcus ibis	5	94.35	391
149	Fish Eagle, African	Haliaeetus vocifer	1	1.33	5
86	Flamingo, Greater	Phoenicopterus roseus	1	112.75	764		625	750
87	Flamingo, Lesser	Phoeniconaias minor	1	195.28	1200			600
893	Gallinule, Purple	Porphyrio martinica	1	1.00	1
10004	Goose, Domestic	Anser anser domesticus	1	1.12	2
89	Goose, Egyptian	Alopochen aegyptiaca	2	238.28	1341
88	Goose, Spur-winged	Plectropterus gambensis	1	16.46	118
5	Grebe, Black-necked	Podiceps nigricollis	1	14.16	131		125
4	Grebe, Great Crested	Podiceps cristatus	0	2.00	7
6	Grebe, Little	Tachybaptus ruficollis	1	107.40	440		250
263	Greenshank, Common	Tringa nebularia	1	1.62	6
288	Gull, Grey-headed	Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus	1	32.82	358
289	Gull, Hartlaub's	Chroicocephalus hartlaubii	4	412.75	2649	250	125	300
287	Gull, Kelp	Larus dominicanus	1	8.04	394	300	150
10010	Gull, Unidentified	Lanus sp.	1	1.00	1
167	Harrier, African Marsh	Circus ranivorus	1	1.17	2
64	Heron, Black	Egretta ardesiaca	2	13.67	34
55	Heron, Black-headed	Ardea melanocephala	1	6.23	112
56	Heron, Goliath	Ardea goliath	1	1.13	2
54	Heron, Grey	Ardea cinerea	1	7.71	35
57	Heron, Purple	Ardea purpurea	1	1.49	6
62	Heron, Squacco	Ardeola ralloides	1	1.18	2
81	Ibis, African Sacred	Threskiornis aethiopicus	2	82.29	673
83	Ibis, Glossy	Plegadis falcinellus	1	6.47	40
84	Ibis, Hadada	Bostrychia hagedash	1	5.85	28
228	Jacana, African	Actophilornis africanus	1	1.13	2
395	Kingfisher, Giant	Megaceryle maxima	1	1.48	5
397	Kingfisher, Malachite	Corythornis cristatus	1	4.92	22
394	Kingfisher, Pied	Ceryle rudis	1	1.73	12
245	Lapwing, Blacksmith	Vanellus armatus	4	64.63	327
10015	Mallard, Hybrid	Anas hybrid	1	1.00	1
509	Martin, Brown-throated	Riparia paludicola	1	1.00	1
210	Moorhen, Common	Gallinula chloropus	7	53.32	387
211	Moorhen, Lesser	Paragallinula angulata	60	60.00	60
69	Night Heron, Black-crowned	Nycticorax nycticorax	1	8.82	44
172	Osprey, Western	Pandion haliaetus	1	1.00	1
230	Painted-snipe, Greater	Rostratula benghalensis	1	1.69	5
42	Pelican, Great White	Pelecanus onocrotalus	1	14.29	147
41	Pelican, Pink-backed	Pelecanus rufescens	28	28.00	28
237	Plover, Kittlitz's	Charadrius pecuarius	1	18.55	75
238	Plover, Three-banded	Charadrius tricollaris	1	21.28	190
1332	Pochard, Red-crested	Netta rufina	4	4.00	4
102	Pochard, Southern	Netta erythrophthalma	1	14.86	148
883	Pond Heron, Malagasy	Ardeola idae	1	1.00	1
281	Pratincole, Collared	Glareola pratincola	12	12.00	12
197	Rail, African	Rallus caerulescens	1	1.00	1			-1
258	Sandpiper, Common	Actitis hypoleucos	1	5.31	33
251	Sandpiper, Curlew	Calidris ferruginea	1	5.15	57
262	Sandpiper, Marsh	Tringa stagnatilis	1	1.40	3
264	Sandpiper, Wood	Tringa glareola	1	1.95	15
90	Shelduck, South African	Tadorna cana	1	2.61	11
94	Shoveler, Cape	Anas smithii	1	55.75	358	350	175	350
93	Shoveler, Northern	Anas clypeata	1	1.00	1
250	Snipe, African	Gallinago nigripennis	1	3.44	13
249	Snipe, Great	Gallinago media	1	1.00	1
85	Spoonbill, African	Platalea alba	1	7.29	64
270	Stilt, Black-winged	Himantopus himantopus	1	81.36	527		500
253	Stint, Little	Calidris minuta	1	40.31	260
208	Swamphen, African	Porphyrio madagascariensis	1	4.93	33
884	Swan, Mute	Cygnus olor	3	3.00	3
99	Teal, Blue-billed	Anas hottentota	1	6.05	69
98	Teal, Cape	Anas capensis	1	32.52	216
97	Teal, Red-billed	Anas erythrorhyncha	1	32.34	151
305	Tern, Whiskered	Chlidonias hybrida	2	5.40	11
304	Tern, White-winged	Chlidonias leucopterus	1	444.72	5101	2000	1000
274	Thick-knee, Water	Burhinus vermiculatus	1	7.30	22
10008	Wader, Unidentified	N/A N/A	1	4.86	20
685	Wagtail, African Pied	Motacilla aguimp	1	20.00	39
686	Wagtail, Cape	Motacilla capensis	1	49.42	202

Monday 23 March 2026 08:10
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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Paarl Bird Sanctuary (33411858)

Western Cape

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