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Wilderness Lakes: Touw System (33592240)

Western Cape

CWAC status REGISTERED-COUNTED REGULARLY
Authority South African National Parks
Management status NATIONAL PARK
Conservation status PROTECTED
IBA information SA114 - WILDERNESS-SEDGEFIELD LAKES COMPLEX
Ramsar information
Heritage information
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Information 

Date_registered
1996-07-17
Brief_description
An IBA, National Park and Ramsar site. The system includes the lagoon and floodplain of the Touw River, with a natural channel (the Serpentine) to the three interconnected lakes: Eilandvlei, Langvlei and Rondevlei. One of the few coastal lake systems in southern Africa, and an important wintering site for waterbirds. Fresh to slightly saline water; extensive fringing emergent vegetation of Phragmites, Typha, Juncus, sedges and grass, and much submerged vegetation. Globally significant numbers of Great Crested Grebe, Dabchick, Cape Shoveller and Redknobbed Coot occur, and nationally significant numbers of Blacknecked Grebe and Southern Pochard. There are also good counts of Reed Cormorant, Whitebacked Duck, Yellowbilled Duck Maccoa Duck and Moorhen. Counts of almost all waterbird species (except Palearctic migrants) peak in winter. The lakes hold good numbers of Little Bittern, Redchested Flufftail, African Rail, Black Crake and Purple Gallinule. Threats include increasing sediment and nutrient loadings, leading to eutrophication and associated expansion of Phragmites and algal blooms.

SppCommon nameTaxonomic nameMinAvgMaxIBASubregional
IBA
RAMSAR
72Scopus umbretta11.502   
256Calidris pugnax145.83141  
269Avocet, PiedRecurvirostra avosetta216.5029   
67Bittern, LittleIxobrychus minutus11.314   
212Coot, Red-knobbedFulica cristata5803588.00712450002500 
48Cormorant, CapePhalacrocorax capensis170.11258   
50Cormorant, ReedMicrocarbo africanus37208.31662   
47Cormorant, White-breasted Phalacrocorax lucidus1677.04198  130
203Crake, BlackZapornia flavirostra14.2312
52Darter, AfricanAnhinga rufa325.3175   
95Duck, African BlackAnas sparsa11.001   
101Duck, Fulvous WhistlingDendrocygna bicolor11.001   
103Duck, MaccoaOxyura maccoa256.50391 21575
104Duck, White-backedThalassornis leuconotus284.70308220110250
100Duck, White-faced WhistlingDendrocygna viduata1117.5024   
96Duck, Yellow-billedAnas undulata101592.541288 8501000
149Eagle, African FishHaliaeetus vocifer25.6715
60Egret, IntermediateArdea intermedia13.478   
59Egret, LittleEgretta garzetta120.0873   
61Egret, Western CattleBubulcus ibis215.7569   
86Flamingo, Greater Phoenicopterus roseus120.5065   
893Gallinule, PurplePorphyrio martinica1414.0014
10004Goose, DomesticAnser anser22.002
89Goose, EgyptianAlopochen aegyptiaca27199.19646   
88Goose, Spur-wingedPlectropterus gambensis110.6751   
5Grebe, Black-neckedPodiceps nigricollis139.95141 125 
4Grebe, Great CrestedPodiceps cristatus39150.695205025100
6Grebe, LittleTachybaptus ruficollis42419.46933500250 
263Greenshank, CommonTringa nebularia14.7515   
288Gull, Grey-headedChroicocephalus cirrocephalus23.336   
287Gull, KelpLarus dominicanus619.1261   
167Harrier, African MarshCircus ranivorus13.719
64Heron, BlackEgretta ardesiaca11.001   
69Heron, Black-crowned NightNycticorax nycticorax11.001   
55Heron, Black-headedArdea melanocephala12.005   
54Heron, GreyArdea cinerea28.2418   
57Heron, PurpleArdea purpurea210.5026   
62Heron, SquaccoArdeola ralloides11.754   
81Ibis, African SacredThreskiornis aethiopicus14.5012   
83Ibis, GlossyPlegadis falcinellus111.3049   
84Ibis, Hadada Bostrychia hagedash25.0014   
228Jacana, AfricanActophilornis africanus12.004   
395Kingfisher, GiantMegaceryle maxima11.704
396Kingfisher, Half-collaredAlcedo semitorquata11.605
397Kingfisher, MalachiteCorythornis cristatus16.2520
394Kingfisher, PiedCeryle rudis15.6315
245Lapwing, BlacksmithVanellus armatus827.2355   
509Martin, Brown-throatedRiparia paludicola11.001
210Moorhen, CommonGallinula chloropus1192.85288   
172Osprey, WesternPandion haliaetus11.001
233Plover, Common RingedCharadrius hiaticula44.004   
237Plover, Kittlitz'sCharadrius pecuarius19.8624   
238Plover, Three-bandedCharadrius tricollaris15.6518   
235Plover, White-frontedCharadrius marginatus11.001   
102Pochard, SouthernNetta erythrophthalma7134.00530500250460
197Rail, AfricanRallus caerulescens11.182-1
258Sandpiper, CommonActitis hypoleucos11.503  
251Sandpiper, CurlewCalidris ferruginea117.5665  
262Sandpiper, MarshTringa stagnatilis19.4418   
264Sandpiper, WoodTringa glareola15.3619   
90Shelduck, South AfricanTadorna cana13.256   
94Shoveler, CapeSpatula smithii39337.921182350175350
250Snipe, AfricanGallinago nigripennis12.7810   
85Spoonbill, AfricanPlatalea alba117.6570   
270Stilt, Black-wingedHimantopus himantopus227.2776   
253Stint, LittleCalidris minuta110.0027   
208Swamphen, AfricanPorphyrio madagascariensis310.6822  
99Teal, Blue-billedSpatula hottentota17.5031   
98Teal, CapeAnas capensis214.3095   
97Teal, Red-billedAnas erythrorhyncha435.00101   
290Tern, CaspianHydroprogne caspia12.676   
291Tern, CommonSterna hirundo319.2759   
305Tern, WhiskeredChlidonias hybrida12.003   
304Tern, White-wingedChlidonias leucopterus11.001   
274Thick-knee, WaterBurhinus vermiculatus16.0812   
10008Wader, UnidentifiedN/A N/A15.2013
686Wagtail, CapeMotacilla capensis26.2819
FITZ logo Ramsar Wetlands International http://www.sanbi.org/

Thursday 28 March 2024 08:56
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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