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The site was identified as important in 2001 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
Fulvous Whistling-duck Dendrocygna bicolor	LC	non-breeding	1994	58,384 individuals	A4i
Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca	LC	non-breeding	-	3,500 individuals	A4i
Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis	LC	non-breeding	1994	4,133 individuals	A4i
Knob-billed Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos	LC	non-breeding	1994	20,698 individuals	A4i
Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma	LC	non-breeding	2000	3,068 individuals	A4i
Blue-billed Teal Spatula hottentota	LC	non-breeding	2001	3,930 individuals	A4i
Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha	LC	non-breeding	1999	10,407 individuals	A4i
Coppery-tailed Coucal Centropus cupreicaudus	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Corncrake Crex crex	LC	winter	-	present	A1
Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus	VU	non-breeding	1995	1,171 individuals	A1, A4i
Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus	VU	resident	-	1,000 breeding pairs	A1, A4i
Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis	LC	non-breeding	1998	667 individuals	A4i
African Openbill Anastomus lamelligerus	LC	non-breeding	1999	15,000-20,000 individuals	A4i
African Spoonbill Platalea alba	LC	non-breeding	2001	1,595 individuals	A4i
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus	LC	non-breeding	1999	4,097 individuals	A4i
Yellow-billed Egret Ardea brachyrhyncha	LC	non-breeding	-	1,000 individuals	A4i
Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides	LC	non-breeding	1997	1,506 individuals	A4i
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis	LC	non-breeding	1995	14,126 individuals	A4i
Great White Egret Ardea alba	LC	non-breeding	1993	2,223 individuals	A4i
Black Heron Egretta ardesiaca	LC	non-breeding	2000	2,933 individuals	A4i
Slaty Egret Egretta vinaceigula	VU	resident	-	present	A1
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus	LC	non-breeding	1994	3,086 individuals	A4i
Long-tailed Cormorant Microcarbo africanus	LC	non-breeding	-	10,000 individuals	A4i
Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius	LC	non-breeding	2000	5,000-6,000 individuals	A4i
Caspian Plover Charadrius asiaticus	LC	winter	1995	30,000-35,000 individuals	A4i
Long-toed Lapwing Vanellus crassirostris	LC	non-breeding	2001	1,395 individuals	A4i
Ruff Calidris pugnax	LC	winter	2001	71,285 individuals	A4i
Great Snipe Gallinago media	NT	winter	-	300 individuals	A1, A4i
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola	LC	non-breeding	2000	17,070 individuals	A4i
Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni	NT	winter	-	100 individuals	A1, A4i
African Skimmer Rynchops flavirostris	LC	non-breeding	2000	520 individuals	A1, A4i
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida	LC	non-breeding	1997	1,226 individuals	A4i
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	LC	winter	-	2,000 individuals	A4i
Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus	NT	winter	-	present	A1
Böhm's Bee-eater Merops boehmi	LC	resident	1998	rare	A3
Racquet-tailed Roller Coracias spatulatus	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Miombo Pied Barbet Tricholaema frontata	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Zambian Barbet Lybius chaplini	VU	resident	1998	present	A1, A3
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	winter	-	common	A1
Dickinson's Kestrel Falco dickinsoni	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Stierling's Wren-warbler Calamonastes stierlingi	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Hartlaub's Babbler Turdoides hartlaubii	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Meves's Long-tailed Starling Lamprotornis mevesii	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Kurrichane Thrush Turdus libonyana	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Arnot's Chat Myrmecocichla arnotti	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
White-breasted Sunbird Cinnyris talatala	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Brown Firefinch Lagonosticta nitidula	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Broad-tailed Paradise-whydah Vidua obtusa	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Green Indigobird Vidua codringtoni	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Fülleborn's Longclaw Macronyx fuelleborni	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	non-breeding	-	100,000-499,999 individuals	A4iii

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2001) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2001. The most recent assessment (2017) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus	3,000	150	breeding pairs	5	very unfavourable

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Grassland	-	-	very unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Energy production and mining	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	slow but significant deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Some of site covered (10-49%)	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

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1966	Gwisho Hot Springs	Natural Monument	-
1971	Kafue Flats	Game Management Area	80
1971	Lochinvar	National Park	6
1973	Blue Lagoon	National Park	7
1991	Kafue Flats	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	92

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Shrubland		48
Forest		23
Artificial/Terrestrial		14
Grassland		12

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
fisheries/aquaculture	-
forestry	-
hunting	-
nature conservation and research	-
water management	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kafue Flats (Zambia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kafue-flats-iba-zambia on 22/11/2024.