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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 1998 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 List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Fulvous Whistling-duck Dendrocygna bicolor	LC	non-breeding (-)	4,500 birds	A4i
White-backed Duck Thalassornis leuconotus	LC	resident (-)	200 pairs	A4i
White-backed Duck Thalassornis leuconotus	LC	non-breeding (-)	350 birds	A4i
African Pygmy-goose Nettapus auritus	LC	resident (-)	6,200–15,000 pairs	A4i
African Pygmy-goose Nettapus auritus	LC	non-breeding (-)	40,000 birds	A4i
Burchell's Sandgrouse Pterocles burchelli	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Coppery-tailed Coucal Centropus cupreicaudus	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Corncrake Crex crex	LC	winter (-)	present	A1
Lesser Moorhen Paragallinula angulata	LC	resident (-)	1,000 pairs	A4i
Lesser Moorhen Paragallinula angulata	LC	non-breeding (-)	5,000 birds	A4i
Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus	VU	resident (-)	100–500 pairs	A1, A4i
Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus	VU	non-breeding (-)	1,000–2,000 birds	A1, A4i
Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumenifer	LC	resident (-)	300–400 pairs	A4i
Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumenifer	LC	non-breeding (-)	5,000 birds	A4i
African Openbill Anastomus lamelligerus	LC	non-breeding (-)	1,000 birds	A4i
African Woollyneck Ciconia microscelis	LC	resident (-)	500 pairs	A4i
Saddle-billed Stork Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis	LC	resident (-)	100 pairs	A4i
Saddle-billed Stork Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis	LC	non-breeding (-)	1,500–2,000 birds	A4i
African Spoonbill Platalea alba	LC	breeding (-)	500 pairs	A4i
White-backed Night Heron Calherodius leuconotus	LC	resident (-)	85 pairs	A4i
Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax	LC	breeding (-)	1,000 pairs	A4i
Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides	LC	resident (-)	10,000 pairs	A4i
Rufous-bellied Heron Ardeola rufiventris	LC	resident (-)	200 pairs	A4i
Rufous-bellied Heron Ardeola rufiventris	LC	non-breeding (-)	500 birds	A4i
Goliath Heron Ardea goliath	LC	resident (-)	700 pairs	A4i
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea	LC	resident (-)	170 pairs	A4i
Great White Egret Ardea alba	LC	resident (-)	2,000 pairs	A4i
Black Heron Egretta ardesiaca	LC	resident (-)	500 pairs	A4i
Slaty Egret Egretta vinaceigula	VU	resident (-)	100–1,000 pairs	A1, A4i
Slaty Egret Egretta vinaceigula	VU	non-breeding (-)	2,000 birds	A1, A4i
Little Egret Egretta garzetta	LC	resident (-)	4,000 pairs	A4i
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus	LC	non-breeding (-)	2,000 birds	A4i
African Darter Anhinga rufa	LC	resident (-)	100 pairs	A4i
African Darter Anhinga rufa	LC	non-breeding (-)	300 birds	A4i
Lesser Jacana Microparra capensis	LC	resident (-)	200 pairs	A4i
Lesser Jacana Microparra capensis	LC	non-breeding (-)	500 birds	A4i
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola	LC	resident (-)	500 pairs	A4i
Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola	LC	non-breeding (-)	1,000–1,600 birds	A4i
Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni	NT	winter (-)	2,000 birds	A1, A4i
African Skimmer Rynchops flavirostris	LC	resident (-)	100 pairs	A1, A4i
African Skimmer Rynchops flavirostris	LC	non-breeding (-)	200 birds	A1, A4i
Bradfield's Hornbill Lophoceros bradfieldi	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Racquet-tailed Roller Coracias spatulatus	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	winter (-)	200–2,000 birds	A1, A4ii
Dickinson's Kestrel Falco dickinsoni	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus	VU	winter (-)	1,000 birds	A4ii
Amur Falcon Falco amurensis	LC	winter (-)	1,000 birds	A4ii
Barred Wren-warbler Calamonastes fasciolatus	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Chirping Cisticola Cisticola pipiens	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica	LC	winter (-)	3,000,000 birds	A4ii
Black-faced Babbler Turdoides melanops	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Hartlaub's Babbler Turdoides hartlaubii	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Burchell's Starling Lamprotornis australis	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Sharp-tailed Starling Lamprotornis acuticaudus	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
Kalahari Scrub-robin Cercotrichas paena	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
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	breeding (-)	50,000-99,999 birds	A4iii
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	non-breeding (-)	100,000-499,999 birds	A4iii

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1998. The most recent assessment (2020) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Shrubland	moderate (70–90%)	moderate (70–90%)	poor
Grassland	moderate (70–90%)	moderate (70–90%)	poor

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Most of area (50–90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	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	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
-	NG/37	Wildlife Management Area (-)	7
-	Okavango Delta	Wildlife Management Area (-)	73
-	NG/36	Wildlife Management Area (-)	<1
-	NG/31	Wildlife Management Area (-)	1
-	NG/9	Wildlife Management Area (-)	44
-	NG/35	Wildlife Management Area (-)	21
-	NG/34	Wildlife Management Area (-)	5
-	NG/8	Wildlife Management Area (-)	25
-	NG/26	Wildlife Management Area (-)	9
-	NG/33	Wildlife Management Area (-)	<1
-	NG/12	Wildlife Management Area (-)	6
-	NG/21	Wildlife Management Area (-)	1
-	NG/29	Wildlife Management Area (-)	10
-	NG/23A	Wildlife Management Area (-)	5
-	NG/24	Wildlife Management Area (-)	3
-	NG/22	Wildlife Management Area (-)	3
-	NG/10	Wildlife Management Area (-)	6
-	NG/25	Wildlife Management Area (-)	3
-	NG/20	Wildlife Management Area (-)	9
-	NG/11	Wildlife Management Area (-)	24
-	NG/27A	Wildlife Management Area (-)	1
-	NG/19	Wildlife Management Area (-)	1
-	NG/23B	Wildlife Management Area (-)	2
-	NG/27B	Wildlife Management Area (-)	1
-	NG/18	Wildlife Management Area (-)	9
-	NG/7	Wildlife Management Area (-)	15
-	NG/41	Wildlife Management Area (-)	12
-	NG/17	Wildlife Management Area (-)	<1
-	NG/6	Wildlife Management Area (-)	1
-	NG/30	Wildlife Management Area (-)	5
-	NG/13	Wildlife Management Area (-)	15
-	NG/28	Wildlife Management Area (-)	25
-	NG/32	Wildlife Management Area (-)	6
1963	Moremi	Game Reserve (Ib)	25
2014	Okavango Delta	World Heritage Site (natural or mixed) (UA)	77

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Shrubland	55
Grassland	44

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
fisheries/aquaculture	-
hunting	-
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-
other	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Okavango Delta (Botswana). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/okavango-delta-iba-botswana on 22/12/2024.