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Olifants River Mouth: South Bank (31421812)
Western Cape
CWAC status	REGISTERED-COUNTED REGULARLY
Authority	CapeNature
Management status	MINING PROPERTY
Conservation status	PROTECTED
IBA information	SA099 - OLIFANTS RIVER ESTUARY
Ramsar information
Heritage information
View Cards	Click here

Information
Date_registered
1996-01-18
Brief_description
An IBA. An open estuary with mud and sandbanks. Counts began in summer 1996 and have yielded good numbers of a reasonable variety of waterbirds, including 10 Palearctic shorebird species (high counts of Ringed and Grey Plovers are noteworthy). Counts of White Pelican, cormorants, South African Shelduck, Whitefronted and Kittlitz's Plovers, and Swift Tern, are higher in summer, whereas counts of Sacred Ibis, Lesser Flamingo, most waterfowl, Avocet, Blackwinged Stilt and gulls are higher in winter. Good numbers of Avocet are recorded. Severe threats are dam building and water abstraction by riparian landowners. Disturbance by fishermen in 4x4 vehicles is an important threat, and net fishing by the local community is a mild threat.

Spp	Common name	Taxonomic name	Min	Avg	Max	IBA	Subregional IBA	RAMSAR
256		Calidris pugnax	1	12.17	48
255		Calidris alba	1	70.63	530
269	Avocet, Pied	Recurvirostra avosetta	1	46.00	597	250	125	190
212	Coot, Red-knobbed	Fulica cristata	1	134.12	681
49	Cormorant, Bank	Phalacrocorax neglectus	1	7.67	18
48	Cormorant, Cape	Phalacrocorax capensis	3	22.00	96
51	Cormorant, Crowned	Microcarbo coronatus	1	8.00	12
50	Cormorant, Reed	Microcarbo africanus	1	19.58	98
47	Cormorant, White-breasted	Phalacrocorax lucidus	1	16.33	102
267	Curlew, Eurasian	Numenius arquata	1	4.86	17
52	Darter, African	Anhinga rufa	1	5.85	24
96	Duck, Yellow-billed	Anas undulata	2	17.59	65
58	Egret, Great	Ardea alba	1	3.33	8
60	Egret, Intermediate [x]	Ardea intermedia	1	1.00	1
59	Egret, Little	Egretta garzetta	2	12.49	68
149	Fish Eagle, African	Haliaeetus vocifer	1	1.50	2
86	Flamingo, Greater	Phoenicopterus roseus	1	126.53	932		625	750
87	Flamingo, Lesser	Phoeniconaias minor	1	58.44	181
266	Godwit, Bar-tailed	Limosa lapponica	1	4.00	9
89	Goose, Egyptian	Alopochen aegyptiaca	1	10.83	49
88	Goose, Spur-winged	Plectropterus gambensis	1	6.78	43
5	Grebe, Black-necked	Podiceps nigricollis	7	10.33	17
4	Grebe, Great Crested	Podiceps cristatus	1	1.33	2
6	Grebe, Little	Tachybaptus ruficollis	1	2.17	3
263	Greenshank, Common	Tringa nebularia	1	56.02	215
288	Gull, Grey-headed	Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus	1	2.00	8
289	Gull, Hartlaub's	Chroicocephalus hartlaubii	2	46.48	450	250	125	300
287	Gull, Kelp	Larus dominicanus	1	46.31	368	300	150
167	Harrier, African Marsh	Circus ranivorus	1	1.00	1
169	Harrier, Black	Circus maurus	1	1.00	1
55	Heron, Black-headed	Ardea melanocephala	1	2.22	7
56	Heron, Goliath	Ardea goliath	1	1.00	1
54	Heron, Grey	Ardea cinerea	1	5.15	13
1015	Heron, Little Blue	Egretta caerulea	1	1.00	1
57	Heron, Purple	Ardea purpurea	1	1.21	3
63	Heron, Striated	Butorides striata	3	3.00	3
81	Ibis, African Sacred	Threskiornis aethiopicus	1	11.28	42
83	Ibis, Glossy	Plegadis falcinellus	1	11.19	38
84	Ibis, Hadada	Bostrychia hagedash	1	2.75	5
395	Kingfisher, Giant	Megaceryle maxima	1	1.00	1
394	Kingfisher, Pied	Ceryle rudis	1	3.30	11
245	Lapwing, Blacksmith	Vanellus armatus	1	2.93	11
69	Night Heron, Black-crowned	Nycticorax nycticorax	1	5.80	17
74	Openbill, African	Anastomus lamelligerus	9	9.00	9
231	Oystercatcher, African	Haematopus moquini	1	5.65	18
42	Pelican, Great White	Pelecanus onocrotalus	1	35.80	430			300
236	Plover, Chestnut-banded	Charadrius pallidus	1	12.29	94
233	Plover, Common Ringed	Charadrius hiaticula	1	44.98	205
241	Plover, Grey	Pluvialis squatarola	1	28.75	104
237	Plover, Kittlitz's	Charadrius pecuarius	1	27.79	86
238	Plover, Three-banded	Charadrius tricollaris	1	2.33	8
235	Plover, White-fronted	Charadrius marginatus	1	32.74	143		125
261	Redshank, Common	Tringa totanus	1	1.00	1
258	Sandpiper, Common	Actitis hypoleucos	1	33.40	120
251	Sandpiper, Curlew	Calidris ferruginea	1	343.57	1108
262	Sandpiper, Marsh	Tringa stagnatilis	1	6.50	29
257	Sandpiper, Terek	Xenus cinereus	1	1.20	2
90	Shelduck, South African	Tadorna cana	1	19.79	93
1342	Shelduck, Common	Tadorna tadorna	123	123.00	123
94	Shoveler, Cape	Anas smithii	1	27.57	120
85	Spoonbill, African	Platalea alba	1	7.72	33
270	Stilt, Black-winged	Himantopus himantopus	1	14.31	50
253	Stint, Little	Calidris minuta	1	72.49	285
76	Stork, Yellow-billed	Mycteria ibis	3	3.00	3
10007	Swan, Black	Cygnus atratus	1	1.67	2
98	Teal, Cape	Anas capensis	1	10.37	49
97	Teal, Red-billed	Anas erythrorhyncha	3	8.67	12
294	Tern, Arctic	Sterna paradisaea	1	17.60	42
290	Tern, Caspian	Hydroprogne caspia	1	2.71	10
291	Tern, Common	Sterna hirundo	1	116.21	881
298	Tern, Greater Crested	Thalasseus bergii	1	51.15	533	500	250	200
296	Tern, Sandwich	Thalasseus sandvicensis	1	15.92	51
10009	Tern, Unidentified	N/A N/A	4	83.50	300
304	Tern, White-winged	Chlidonias leucopterus	3	3.00	3
274	Thick-knee, Water	Burhinus vermiculatus	2	2.00	2
232	Turnstone, Ruddy	Arenaria interpres	1	1.50	2
10008	Wader, Unidentified	N/A N/A	27	85.40	171
686	Wagtail, Cape	Motacilla capensis	3	3.00	3
268	Whimbrel, Eurasian	Numenius phaeopus	1	5.55	19

Friday 30 January 2026 07:32
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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Olifants River Mouth: South Bank (31421812)

Western Cape

Information