Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary animals. The natural veld type of the sanctuary is mixed bushveld. Upwards of 170 native bird species have been recorded, but the presence or breeding of some have been transient, due to urbanization and other factors. Resident or visiting passerine birds include thick-billed weaver, southern red bishop, African reed-warbler, little rush-warbler and lesser swamp-warbler. Various heron species visit the reserve, including black-crowned night-heron, little bittern, green-backed heron, purple heron, black and little egret. Other regular water birds are red-knobbed coot, fulvous duck, Egyptian goose, white-faced duck, Cape teal and southern pochard. Pinioned crowned cranes and blue cranes have been released
Southern pochard with or without emergent vegetation. They are suspected to have been strong migrants in the past but the construction of numerous farm dams seems to allow them a more sedentary lifestyle. They reach highest concentrations in Africa's central plateaus and in the south-western winter rainfall region. Southern pochards are sociable and gregarious. They have been seen in groups of up to 5,000. The birds are solitary nesters, building nests out of leaves and stems on the banks of a river surrounded by vegetation. The female southern pochard lays a clutch consisting of six to fifteen eggs. The female incubates the