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22-612: Nylsvley Nature Reserve is a 40 km (15 sq mi) protected area, located on and beside the seasonally-inundated floodplain of the Nyl River , the uppermost section of the Mogalakwena which has a very shallow gradient. It is located near Mookgophong in the Limpopo Province of South Africa . The area has been declared a Ramsar wetland site because of its international conservation importance. The floodplain

44-528: A pan or seasonally flooded area, and in the word for "Nile". In the 1860s, a Voortrekker group of farmers saw a large flooded plain and a river flowing northwards and according to legend considered it to be the Nylrivier ( Nile river ). This Limpopo location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Africa protected areas related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Nyl River The name of

66-457: A year. A minimum of 80 percent of that revenue goes directly toward habitat conservation . Ducks Unlimited partners with a wide range of corporations, governments, other non-governmental organizations, landowners, and private citizens to restore and manage areas that have been degraded and to prevent further degradation of existing wetlands. DU is also active in working with others to recommend government policies that will influence wetlands and

88-690: Is a result of various sources in China. The rise of urbanization and industries has resulted in pollution and waste in the water. In addition, reclamation projects for construction further threaten ruining the habitats of these birds. For example, the largest of these reclamation projects is the Oufei Project, which spans 8854 Hectares. Experimental evidence of competition has been difficult to obtain in highly mobile animals that cannot be meaningfully confined to plots of limited size. Many such animals are believed to compete with less mobile, resident taxa, but

110-689: Is also used in the context of conservation to refer to any birds that inhabit or depend on bodies of water or wetland areas. Examples of this use include the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) and the Wallnau Waterbird Reserve . Some examples of water birds are: The evolution of waterbirds is often mainly centered around adaptations to improve feeding techniques. This includes legs that are adapted to diving or wading and webbing between

132-412: Is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems , although others make no distinction from seabirds that inhabit marine environments . Some water birds (e.g. wading birds ) are more terrestrial while others (e.g. waterfowls ) are more aquatic, and their adaptations will vary depending on their environment. These adaptations include webbed feet , beaks, and legs adapted to feed in the water, and

154-723: Is fed mostly by smaller tributaries flowing from the Waterberg Massif that flow roughly northeastwards into a wide and shallow plain with a very feeble gradient. The main stream is known as Groot Nyl and has its sources to the east of Bela-Bela (Warmbad). Its most important tributaries are the Olifantspruit and the Tobiasspruit . Other tributaries are the Klein Nyl, Middelfonteinspruit, Hessie-se-Water, De Wet Zyn Loop, Bad se Loop, Andriesspruit, Kotjie se Loop and

176-715: Is found by a relative apparent synapomorphy analysis (RASA) which highlighted certain branches of genes that classified the domestic duck and fowl, for example, as an outgroup. Comparing and understanding these gene patterns allows scientists to classify aquatic birds. Waterbird conservation efforts in the United States are advanced by numerous organizations, including the 700,000 member strong Ducks Unlimited . Employing such methods as conservation easements and outright purchase, it uses federal and state habitat reimbursements, sponsorships, member fees, major gifts, donations, royalties, and advertisement to raise over $ 200 million

198-629: Is made up of extensive reedbeds and grassveld surrounded by open woodland. Situated in the upper catchment area of the Nyl River, and covering about 20% of the floodplain, the area boasts some 370 bird species – of which more than 100 are waterfowl – and during peak floods, over 80,000 birds are to be seen. The reserve is also home to roan antelope and tsessebe . The only stands of wild rice in South Africa, Oryza longistaminata , are to be found here. The name 'Nylsvley' originated in vlei ,

220-488: Is sufficient water flow. It is one of the largest single ecosystems in South Africa providing a haven for aquatic birds . This flood-plain is now the site of the Nylsvley Nature Reserve , a Ramsar wetland of international importance . Aquatic bird A water bird , alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird , is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term water bird

242-629: The Dorps River joins the right bank of the stream. The Donkerpoort Dam is a dam on the Klein Nyl near Modimolle , former Nylstroom. The reservoir is a popular fishing spot. The flood-plain of the Nyl, also known as the Nyl pan ( Afrikaans : Nylsvlei ), is a seasonal wetland , for the basin of the Mogalakwena is affected by a five-year rain cycle in which the river is virtually dry for five years, followed by another five years in which there

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264-556: The Dorpspruit. The Nyl plain becomes seasonally flooded and is full of reeds and other aquatic plants . It is known as Nylsvlei , from the word vlei usually applied to intermittent lakes , for the main course in its midst flows northeastwards very slowly. Further on it bends northwards as the north-leaning gradient of the river tilts to a sharper angle. Finally the Nyl becomes the Mogalakwena River shortly before

286-533: The Nyl River originated in the word for "Nile". In the 1860s, a group of pious and enthusiastic Dutch Voortrekkers known as the Jerusalemgangers , saw the large flooded plain with its wide river flowing lazily northwards and were under the impression that they had arrived at the mighty Nylrivier , the Nile river . They settled the place and founded a town in 1866, calling it Nylstroom . The Nyl river

308-411: The ability to dive from the surface or the air to catch prey in water. The term aquatic bird is sometimes also used in this context. A related term that has a narrower meaning is waterfowl . Some piscivore birds of prey , such as ospreys and sea eagles , hunt aquatic prey but do not stay in water for long and live predominantly over dry land, and are not considered water birds. The term waterbird

330-917: The environment. Through March 2021, Ducks Unlimited had conserved at least 15 million acres of waterfowl habitat in North America. To promote the conservation of waterbirds in America, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service established the Waterbird Conservation for the Americas to facilitate this over such a large area. The purpose of this initiative is to promote international cooperation and partnership to preserve waterbird habitats, create long term sustainability plans, implement specific conservation plans for regions, and support legal action for waterbird conservation on

352-536: The mortality rate of this disease can reach up to 100%, especially in young birds. Avian influenza caused by infection with H5N1 , a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV), has spread in poultry in more than 60 countries in Eurasia and Africa since 1996, when the first outbreak occurred at a goose farm in the Guangdong province in China. H5N1 in wild birds have spread to Asia, Europe, and Africa, and it

374-640: The most important concern in mass waterfowl production. Free-ranging water birds are the most likely infectious carriers. While the overall epidemiology of DEV is unknown in western Europe, studies conducted in Poland agree with the high levels of transmission between free-ranging water birds. DEV is an aetiological agent of DP, which represents one of the most acute and lethal diseases of waterbirds, and infection can spread easily between farmed and wild waterbirds. Over 48 species of birds, including those not considered waterbirds, are susceptible to infection by DEV, and

396-417: The nutrients they need. Outbreaks of diseases spread by waterbirds result from the transition of water-borne viruses to those wild birds. The spread can be caused by dead waterbirds in the vicinity of other organisms, or simply from waterbirds with the virus settling into more densely populated areas (whether by humans or other organisms). Duck plague (DP), also called duck enteritis virus (DEV), presents

418-692: The regional and national levels. The loss of wetlands has impacted waterbirds and is driving their extinction in regions where wetlands are polluted. Specifically, in China , 33% of wetlands were lost between 1978 and 2008, which is the primary breeding ground for China's waterbird species such as the Baer's Pochard, which is now at risk for extinction. The Baer's Pochard's population has decreased to between 150 and 700 birds in recent years due to negative environmental impacts on their habitat as well as human activities such as hunting and fishing. This loss of wetlands

440-428: The supporting evidence has often remained circumstantial. One example is the interaction between water birds and benthic feeding fish, or fish that feed at the lowest level of a body of water. Many migratory water birds use similar food resources on their breeding, molting, or overwintering grounds as do resident fish species. Studies, such as that done by Eadie and Keast in 1982, found an inverse relationship between

462-411: The toes. Many of these adaptations are common between different types of waterbirds. For example, flamingos and ducks share a similar filter-feeding lifestyle, and the shoebill has a similar structure ( morphology ) to many wading birds. DNA sequence analysis, specifically the mitochondrial gene sequencing, has been used to classify and differentiate the various aquatic birds. This classification

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484-598: The waterbird Goldeneye and benthic feeding fish across multiple lakes. Mobile water birds tend to avoid areas where their food density is high because this increases competition for resources. When there is abundant food in an area, there are more birds trying to eat it. This can lead to aggression and fighting, as well as a decrease in the overall fitness of the bird. By avoiding areas of high food density, mobile waterfowl can reduce competition and improve their chances of survival. They can spread out and forage in less crowded areas, which allows them to avoid conflict and obtain

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