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The site was identified as important in 2015 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor	NT	non-breeding	-	common	A1
Burchell's Sandgrouse Pterocles burchelli	LC	resident	2010-2014	uncommon	A3
Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus	VU	resident	2010-2014	present	A1
Ludwig's Bustard Neotis ludwigii	EN	resident	2010-2014	present	A1
Blue Bustard Eupodotis caerulescens	NT	resident	2010-2014	present	A1
Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius	EN	resident	2010-2014	present	A1
White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus	CR	breeding	2010-2014	present	A1
Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotos	EN	non-breeding	2010-2014	present	A1
Kalahari Scrub-robin Cercotrichas paena	LC	resident	2010-2014	present	A3
White-breasted Sunbird Cinnyris talatala	LC	resident	2010-2014	present	A3
Sociable Weaver Philetairus socius	LC	resident	2010-2014	present	A3

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2015) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2015. The most recent assessment (2013) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor	500	1,500	individuals	100	favourable
Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus	8	7	individuals	88	near favourable
Ludwig's Bustard Neotis ludwigii	20	20	individuals	100	favourable
Blue Bustard Eupodotis caerulescens	8	8	individuals	100	favourable
Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius	6	2	individuals	34	very unfavourable
White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus	20	15	breeding pairs	75	near favourable

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Savanna	good (> 90%)	moderate (70-90%)	near favourable
Wetlands (inland)	good (> 90%)	moderate (70-90%)	near favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Climate change and severe weather	likely in long term (beyond 4 years)	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	medium
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Biological resource use	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low
Pollution	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Little/none of site covered (<10%)	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	low

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Savanna		-
Wetlands (inland)	Saltpans	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Benfontein (South Africa). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/benfontein-iba-south-africa on 22/11/2024.