Data Zone
Country/territory: Kenya
IBA criteria met: A1, A3 (1999)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 200 hectares (2.00 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2023 | poor | high | very low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2001 baseline)
Koguta swamp is a wetland at the mouth of the Sondu-Miriu river, a few kilometres south-west of the Nyando river mouth on the shores of Lake Victoria. The vegetation consists mainly of reeds Phragmites spp. interspersed with patches of papyrus Cyperus papyrus and Vossia cuspidata. Koguta is flooded during the wet season, while during the dry season the area is heavily grazed and trampled by cattle and hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Table 3 for key species. Chloropeta gracilirostris has been recorded here (but appears to be uncommon), one of six Lake Victoria Basin biome species that are known to occur, including the papyrus endemics Laniarius mufumbiri (relatively abundant), Bradypterus carpalis and Cisticola carruthersi.
Non-bird biodiversity: Little information is available. The ungulate Tragelaphus spekii (LR/nt) and the snake Python sebae occur, but their status is unknown. Like other wetlands around the shores of Lake Victoria, Koguta is probably an important refuge for a number of the lake’s endemic haplochromine fish species.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Koguta swamp (Kenya). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/koguta-swamp-iba-kenya on 23/12/2024.