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Zwartkops River Estuary (33522538)

Eastern Cape

CWAC status REGISTERED-COUNTED REGULARLY
Authority Private
Management status UNKNOWN
Conservation status UNKNOWN
IBA information SA096 - SWARTKOPS ESTUARY & CHATTY SALT PANS
Ramsar information
Heritage information
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Information 

Date_registered
1992-02-05
Brief_description
Comprises an IBA with Redhouse and Chatty saltpans. Open estuary; little waterfowl habitat but good foraging and roosting site for shorebirds; large tern roost. Good winter counts of Cape Cormorant and Little Egret in 1994; other cormorants, and Sacred Ibis, African Spoonbill and Cape Teal, also normally peak in winter. Globally significant numbers of Kelp Gull, and nationally significant numbers of African Black Oystercatcher, highest in winter. In summer, high numbers of Palearctic shorebirds, especially Grey Plover, Turnstone, Terek and Curlew Sandpipers, Greenshank, Bartailed Godwit, Curlew and Whimbrel; also good winter counts of several of these species, and of Blackwinged Stilt and Whitefronted Plover. Roseate Tern recorded irregularly. Threats include sedimentation, reclamation, pollution (domestic sewage and solid waste), and overhead powerlines. She site is counted from the mouth to the navigational limit, excluding the top of some creeks.

SppCommon nameTaxonomic nameMinAvgMaxIBASubregional
IBA
RAMSAR
256Calidris pugnax12.255  
255Calidris alba1119.67408   
1016Anas platyrhynchos11.001
269Avocet, PiedRecurvirostra avosetta13.869   
212Coot, Red-knobbedFulica cristata11.885   
48Cormorant, CapePhalacrocorax capensis1183.671259   
50Cormorant, ReedMicrocarbo africanus162.02209   
47Cormorant, White-breastedPhalacrocorax lucidus435.93119   
267Curlew, EurasianNumenius arquata120.9585   
52Darter, AfricanAnhinga rufa15.6513   
95Duck, African BlackAnas sparsa22.002   
10005Duck, HybridAnas hybrid11.001
96Duck, Yellow-billedAnas undulata17.9151   
58Egret, GreatArdea alba12.8810   
59Egret, LittleEgretta garzetta1484.59222   
61Egret, Western CattleBubulcus ibis18.5030   
149Fish Eagle, AfricanHaliaeetus vocifer11.403
86Flamingo, GreaterPhoenicopterus roseus4103.61233   
87Flamingo, LesserPhoeniconaias minor119.0068   
266Godwit, Bar-tailedLimosa lapponica138.35171   
10004Goose, DomesticAnser anser domesticus37.3518
89Goose, EgyptianAlopochen aegyptiaca120.9568   
88Goose, Spur-wingedPlectropterus gambensis18.0015   
5Grebe, Black-neckedPodiceps nigricollis11.001   
6Grebe, LittleTachybaptus ruficollis19.1532   
263Greenshank, CommonTringa nebularia1112.63335   
932Gull, Franklin'sLeucophaeus pipixcan11.001
288Gull, Grey-headedChroicocephalus cirrocephalus3140.92745 500 
289Gull, Hartlaub'sChroicocephalus hartlaubii115.1769   
287Gull, KelpLarus dominicanus261874.062109300150700
167Harrier, African MarshCircus ranivorus11.102
55Heron, Black-headedArdea melanocephala11.784   
56Heron, GoliathArdea goliath12.144   
54Heron, GreyArdea cinerea113.8438   
57Heron, PurpleArdea purpurea11.724   
81Ibis, African SacredThreskiornis aethiopicus1094.21194   
83Ibis, GlossyPlegadis falcinellus11.001   
84Ibis, HadadaBostrychia hagedash12.888   
395Kingfisher, GiantMegaceryle maxima11.654
396Kingfisher, Half-collaredAlcedo semitorquata11.001
397Kingfisher, MalachiteCorythornis cristatus11.001
394Kingfisher, PiedCeryle rudis111.1826
254Knot, RedCalidris canutus17.6771   
245Lapwing, BlacksmithVanellus armatus142.59161   
10015Mallard, HybridAnas hybrid22.503
509Martin, Brown-throatedRiparia paludicola11.001
210Moorhen, CommonGallinula chloropus11.001   
69Night Heron, Black-crownedNycticorax nycticorax11.202   
172Osprey, WesternPandion haliaetus11.143
231Oystercatcher, AfricanHaematopus moquini2037.6961482455
42Pelican, Great WhitePelecanus onocrotalus11.001   
236Plover, Chestnut-bandedCharadrius pallidus11.502   
233Plover, Common RingedCharadrius hiaticula1106.43301   
239Plover, Greater SandCharadrius leschenaultii110.6047   
241Plover, GreyPluvialis squatarola33305.82721   
237Plover, Kittlitz'sCharadrius pecuarius127.61169   
234Plover, Siberian SandCharadrius mongolus11.001   
238Plover, Three-bandedCharadrius tricollaris15.5723   
235Plover, White-frontedCharadrius marginatus147.12161 125 
261Redshank, CommonTringa totanus11.001
981Sandpiper, Broad-billedCalidris falcinellus11.001
258Sandpiper, CommonActitis hypoleucos13.7813  
251Sandpiper, CurlewCalidris ferruginea1517.622099  
262Sandpiper, MarshTringa stagnatilis13.4011   
257Sandpiper, TerekXenus cinereus177.33260 
90Shelduck, South AfricanTadorna cana22.002   
94Shoveler, CapeAnas smithii23.5213   
85Spoonbill, AfricanPlatalea alba125.16108 75 
270Stilt, Black-wingedHimantopus himantopus165.52315   
253Stint, LittleCalidris minuta250.85168   
79Stork, BlackCiconia nigra11.001   
98Teal, CapeAnas capensis18.6339   
97Teal, Red-billedAnas erythrorhyncha11.672   
292Tern, AntarcticSterna vittata1010.0010   
290Tern, CaspianHydroprogne caspia39.7622  20
291Tern, CommonSterna hirundo2355.382906  1800
300Tern, DamaraSternula balaenarum311.2026   
298Tern, Greater CrestedThalasseus bergii117.0293   
299Tern, LittleSternula albifrons170.53155   
293Tern, RoseateSterna dougallii13.1110  8
296Tern, SandwichThalasseus sandvicensis1102.21279315007501700
305Tern, WhiskeredChlidonias hybrida11.001   
304Tern, White-wingedChlidonias leucopterus3163.13643   
274Thick-knee, WaterBurhinus vermiculatus14.4813   
232Turnstone, RuddyArenaria interpres1224.18859350175 
686Wagtail, CapeMotacilla capensis119.0249
268Whimbrel, EurasianNumenius phaeopus87357.97923   
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Wednesday 03 September 2025 10:32
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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