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Zandvlei: Upper Estuary (34061828)

Western Cape

CWAC status REGISTERED-COUNTED REGULARLY
Authority City of Cape Town Biodiversity Management Branch & Private
Management status TOWN COUNCIL PROPERTY
Conservation status PARTLY PROTECTED
IBA information
Ramsar information
Heritage information
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Information 

Date_registered
1993-01-09
Brief_description
An open estuary, with some reedbeds and other emergent vegetation. Holds a good variety of birds, including Purple Heron, Little Bittern and Purple Gallinule. Cormorant counts peak in winter; numbers of Darter, Cape Teal, Redknobbed Coot, Blackwinged Stilt and Hartlaub's Gull show no definite seasonal peak. There were unusually large counts of Blacksmith Plover in summer 1993, of Cape Shoveller in the 1994-1996 summers, of Sacred Ibis in summer 1994, and of Egyptian Goose in winter 1997. Numbers of Darter show some overall increase but Cape Teal appear to be declining. Severe threats are posed by invasive alien plants (Paspalum grass and Eichhornia); important threats include eutrophication, and pollution by solid waste. Hunting, fishing, domestic dogs and cats, and residential development, are also problems. Mallard pose some hybridization threat. The site covers the pans in the Zandvlei Nature Reserve and the upper parts of the estuary down to the Sea Scout base.

SppCommon nameTaxonomic nameMinAvgMaxIBASubregional
IBA
RAMSAR
10015Anas hybrid139.35169
1016Anas platyrhynchos18.5956
269Avocet, PiedRecurvirostra avosetta144.23180 125 
67Bittern, LittleIxobrychus minutus11.383   
212Coot, Red-knobbedFulica cristata7414.633262 2500 
48Cormorant, CapePhalacrocorax capensis132.56205   
50Cormorant, ReedMicrocarbo africanus238.07279   
47Cormorant, White-breasted Phalacrocorax lucidus112.19146  130
52Darter, AfricanAnhinga rufa120.8097   
95Duck, African BlackAnas sparsa22.002   
10006Duck, DomesticAnas platyrhynchos113.4261
10005Duck, HybridAnas hybrid28.7523
10034Duck, Hyrbid Mallard/Yellow-billedAnas platyrhynchos x undulata49.5015
103Duck, MaccoaOxyura maccoa66.006   
1017Duck, MandarinAix galericulata11.001
10014Duck, UnidentifiedN/A N/A17.8823
104Duck, White-backedThalassornis leuconotus233.8796   
100Duck, White-faced WhistlingDendrocygna viduata913.3316   
96Duck, Yellow-billedAnas undulata123.23153   
149Eagle, African FishHaliaeetus vocifer11.453
60Egret, IntermediateArdea intermedia11.9615   
59Egret, LittleEgretta garzetta17.6642   
982Egret, SlatyEgretta vinaceigula11.001   
61Egret, Western CattleBubulcus ibis13.0020   
86Flamingo, Greater Phoenicopterus roseus252.42229   
87Flamingo, LesserPhoeniconaias minor29.2027   
44Gannet, CapeMorus capensis11.001
89Goose, EgyptianAlopochen aegyptiaca144.721121   
88Goose, Spur-wingedPlectropterus gambensis18.0060   
5Grebe, Black-neckedPodiceps nigricollis26.0010   
4Grebe, Great CrestedPodiceps cristatus19.5744 25 
6Grebe, LittleTachybaptus ruficollis110.6451   
263Greenshank, CommonTringa nebularia11.252   
288Gull, Grey-headedChroicocephalus cirrocephalus14.6714   
289Gull, Hartlaub'sChroicocephalus hartlaubii151.49309250125300
287Gull, KelpLarus dominicanus115.28146   
167Harrier, African MarshCircus ranivorus11.202
69Heron, Black-crowned NightNycticorax nycticorax16.9031   
55Heron, Black-headedArdea melanocephala11.396   
54Heron, GreyArdea cinerea12.9115   
57Heron, PurpleArdea purpurea11.885   
62Heron, SquaccoArdeola ralloides11.001   
63Heron, StriatedButorides striata11.001   
10011Heron, UnidentifiedN/A N/A11.001
81Ibis, African SacredThreskiornis aethiopicus19.22111   
83Ibis, GlossyPlegadis falcinellus13.388   
84Ibis, Hadada Bostrychia hagedash14.4813   
228Jacana, AfricanActophilornis africanus11.001   
395Kingfisher, GiantMegaceryle maxima11.282
397Kingfisher, MalachiteCorythornis cristatus11.896
394Kingfisher, PiedCeryle rudis17.1919
245Lapwing, BlacksmithVanellus armatus111.81112   
509Martin, Brown-throatedRiparia paludicola11.001
210Moorhen, CommonGallinula chloropus111.9482   
230Painted-snipe, GreaterRostratula benghalensis11.001   
42Pelican, Great WhitePelecanus onocrotalus15.9517   
241Plover, GreyPluvialis squatarola11.001   
237Plover, Kittlitz'sCharadrius pecuarius12.005   
238Plover, Three-bandedCharadrius tricollaris12.749   
102Pochard, SouthernNetta erythrophthalma11.752   
258Sandpiper, CommonActitis hypoleucos11.332  
262Sandpiper, MarshTringa stagnatilis11.502   
264Sandpiper, WoodTringa glareola11.252   
90Shelduck, South AfricanTadorna cana22.002   
94Shoveler, CapeSpatula smithii19.3249   
85Spoonbill, AfricanPlatalea alba14.7231   
270Stilt, Black-wingedHimantopus himantopus113.0854   
78Stork, Abdim'sCiconia abdimii1919.0019   
76Stork, Yellow-billedMycteria ibis11.001   
208Swamphen, AfricanPorphyrio madagascariensis11.955  
10007Swan, Black Cygnus atratus11.001
884Swan, MuteCygnus olor22.002
99Teal, Blue-billedSpatula hottentota12.504   
98Teal, CapeAnas capensis112.0940   
97Teal, Red-billedAnas erythrorhyncha13.698   
290Tern, CaspianHydroprogne caspia13.7816   
291Tern, CommonSterna hirundo13.1613   
298Tern, Greater CrestedThalasseus bergii11.894   
296Tern, SandwichThalasseus sandvicensis11.142   
10009Tern, UnidentifiedN/A N/A44.004
305Tern, WhiskeredChlidonias hybrida11.673   
304Tern, White-wingedChlidonias leucopterus13.6711   
274Thick-knee, WaterBurhinus vermiculatus12.507   
10008Wader, UnidentifiedN/A N/A11.001
686Wagtail, CapeMotacilla capensis15.1518
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Thursday 28 March 2024 10:17
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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