Chinese pond-heron

Ardeola bacchus

Photo by Foozi Saad (Trek Nature)

Common name:
Chinese pond-heron (en); papa-ratos-da-China (pt); crabier chinois (fr); garcilla china (es); Bacchusreiher (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Ciconiiformes 
Family Ardeidae

Range:
This species breeds throughout the eastern half of China, as well as in Korea, Japan, Taiwan and marginally into extreme south-eastern Russia. They migrate south to winter from southern China south to the Philippines and northern Indonesia.

Size:
These birds are 42-52 cm long and have a wingspan of 79-90 cm. They weigh about 370 g.

Habitat:
The Chinese pond-heron is found in a wide range of wetland habitats, including rice fields, swamps and marshes, freshwater lakes, river banks, saltmarshes and mangroves, also using dry grasslands.

Diet:
They feed on small frogs, fishes, worms, snails, both aquatic and terrestrial insects, crabs and even small birds.

Breeding:
Chinese pond-herons breed in April-August. They nest in small colonies, sometimes with other herons species, each pair building a large bowl made of small twigs and lined with grasses and leaves, fairly high up in a tree. There the female lays 4-5 blue green eggs which are incubated by both parents for 18-22 days. The chicks fledge about 30 days after hatching. Each pair usually raises 2 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is very roughly estimated at 25.000-1.000.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Whistling heron

Syrigma sibilatrix

Photo by Ken Erickson (Wikipedia)

Common name:
whistling heron (en); maria-faceira (pt); héron flûte-su-soleil (fr); garza chiflona (es); pfeifreiher (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Ciconiiformes
Family Ardeidae

Range:
This South American species has two subspecies with disjunct distributions. S.s. fostersmithi is found in eastern Colombia and in northern and western Venezuela, while S.s. sibilatrix is found from Bolivia and adjacent western Brazil, east to southern Minas Gerais and south through Paraguay and Uruguay into north-eastern Argentina as far as Mar del Plata.

Size:
These birds are 50-64 cm long and weigh 370-545 g.

Habitat:
The whistling heron is mostly found in wet grasslands, but also uses dry grasslands and savannas, marshes and swamps, and pastures. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.

Diet:
They mainly hunt invertebrates, including grasshoppers, dragonfly larvae, stick insects, mantids, beetles, caterpillars, various flying insects, spiders and earthworms, but also take small vertebrates such as frogs, tadpoles, eels and other small fish, and aquatic snakes.

Breeding:
Whistling herons breed in April-January, varying among different parts of their range. They nest either in solitary pairs or in scattered colonies. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a loose, unlined platform of twigs placed on a thick horizontal branch of a mature tree, 3-11 m above the ground. The female lays 1-4 pale blue eggs with dark speckles, which are incubated for about 28 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 1 month after hatching, but usually only 2 chicks survive until fledging.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as locally common but patchily distributed. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats and S.s. sibilatrix it appears to be expanding its range northwards across the Brazilian cerrado.

Reddish egret

Egretta rufescens

Photo by John Avise (Natural History of Orange County)

Common name:
reddish egret (en); garça-avermelhada (pt); aigrette roussâtre (fr); garceta rojiza (es); rötelreiher (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Ciconiiformes
Family Ardeidae

Range:
This species is found along the coasts of the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and into northern Venezuela and Colombia.

Size:
These birds are 68-82 cm long and have a wingspan of 116-125 cm. They weigh 360-870 g.

Habitat:
The reddish egret is found in shallow coastal waters, salt pans, mud and sand flats, rocky shorelines and sandy beaches, breeding on rocky offshore islands and mangroves. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 50 m.

Diet:
They feed on small fishes, such as minnows, mullet and killifish, frogs, tadpoles, crustaceans and occasionally aquatic insects.

Breeding:
Reddish egrets can breed all year round. They nest in colonies, each pair building a stick platform lined with grass, placed on mangrove trees or on the ground, always near or above water. The female lays 3-4 pale blue-green eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 25-26 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 6-7 weeks after hatching. Each pair raises a single brood per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)
This species has a large breeding range and a global population estimated at 10.000-20.000 individuals. The population seems to be declining in most areas, although it is increasing in
in parts of its range where it is well protected and has safe nesting sites. Populations were heavily exploited for until the early 20th century, but today population declines are apparently related with nest predation. Predator control has lead to population recoveries in some areas.

Australasian bittern

Botaurus poiciloptilus

Photo by Marlene Lyell (Flickr)

Common name:
Australasian bittern (en); abetouro-australiano (pt); butor d'Australie (fr); avetoro australiano (es); Australische rohrdommel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Ciconiiformes
Family Ardeidae

Range:
This species is found throughout most of New Zealand, in New Caledonia and in Australia, in south-western Western Australia and from southern Queensland to Tasmania and south-eastern South Australia.

Size:
These birds are 66-76 cm long and have a wingspan of 105-120 cm. The females weigh 570-1.130 g, while the males weigh 880-2.080 g.

Habitat:
The Australasian bittern is found in shallow, freshwater wetlands with lots of tall reeds, rushes and other dense vegetation, occasionally also using estuaries and other tidal wetlands and rice paddies. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 800 m.

Diet:
They forage mainly at night, hunting frogs, fishes, crayfish, snails and aquatic insects. It has also been recorded feeding on lizards, birds, rats, mice, leaves and fruit.

Breeding:
Australasian bitterns breed in September-February. They are monogamous, solitary nesters, nesting in a well-constructed saucer of flat pieces of reeds or rushes that are laid across one another and may be sheltered above by stems of the surrounding vegetation. It is placed 30 cm above the water. The female lays 3-6 olive-brown eggs, which she incubates alone for about 25 days. The chicks are fed by the female alone and fledge 7 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - EN (Endangered)
This species has a large breeding range and a global population estimated at 1.000-2.500 individuals. The population trends are unknown for the small New Caledonian population, whilst in New Zealand the species is suspected to be stable. In Australia, the population has declined by over 70% since the 1970s, mainly due to wetland drainage for agriculture, as well as changes brought about by high levels of grazing and salinisation of swamps. Human disturbance and predation by introduced red foxes may also pose a problem to this species.

Least bittern

Ixobrychus exilis

Photo by Harold Stiver (Nature Notes)

Common name:
least bittern (en); socoí-vermelho (pt); petit blongios (fr); avetorillo panamericano (es); Amerikanische zwergdommel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Ciconiiformes
Family Ardeidae

Range:
This species is found from south-eastern Canada and the eastern, southern and south-western United States, through Central America and into the coasts and along the main rivers and wetlands of South America as far south as south-eastern Brazil and Paraguay. The populations in North America migrate south to winter in Central America.

Size:
These birds are 28-36 cm long and have a wingspan of 41-46 cm. They weigh 50-110 g.

Habitat:
The least bittern is found in a wide range of coastal and inland wetlands, including saltmarshes, mangroves, fresh water marshes and swamps, lakes with dense vegetation, rivers and artificial channels and ditches. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 3.100 m.

Diet:
They mainly feed on small fishes, crustaceans and aquatic insects, but also amphibians, reptiles and terrestrial insects. They can also eat the eggs and chicks of other marsh-dwelling birds.

Breeding:
Least bitterns are loosely colonial. The male builds the nest, which consists of a frail platform of sticks and twigs, placed over water on dead stalks of emergent vegetation. There the female lays 2-5 bluish-white eggs with brown flecks, which are incubated by both parents for 19-20 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 25 days after hatching. Each pair can raise 1-2 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range. There is no information regarding population size or global trends, but some populations are known to be in decline, due to habitat loss caused by drainage of wetlands and human disturbance during the nesting period. In North America the least bittern has had a stable trend over the last 4 decades.

Chinese egret

Egretta eulophotes

Photo by Tim Edelsten (Birds Korea)

Common name:
Chinese egret (en); garça-chinesa (pt); aigrette de Chine (fr); garceta china (es); schneereiher (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Ciconiiformes
Family Ardeidae

Range:
These birds breed in small islands off the coasts of South Korea, North Korea and across the border into north-eastern China and south-eastern Russia. They migrate south to winter in Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and northern Indonesia.

Size:
The Chinese egret is 65-68 cm long and has a wingspan of 97-114 cm. They weigh 450-500 g.

Habitat:
They are mostly found in coastal areas such as estuaries, bays and offshore islands, along mangroves, mudflats and rocky shores. They are also found in rice fields and aquaculture ponds.

Diet:
Chinese egrets feed on fish, small crabs and other crustaceans, worms, insects, small aquatic invertebrates, amphibians and small reptiles.

Breeding:
These birds breed in April-July. They form breeding colonies in offshore islands, with each pair building a disc-shaped nest made of straws and sticks, lined with grasses. The nests are typically placed on trees, 12-18 m above the ground, or sometimes in lower trees or scrubs. The female lays 3-5 pale blue-green eggs, which she mostly incubates alone for 24-35 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 36-40 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
The Chinese egret has a relatively large breeding range, but the global population is estimated at just 2.500-10.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be declining by 20% per decade due to habitat loss and degradation through reclamation of tidal flats, estuarine habitats and uninhabited offshore breeding islands for infrastructure, industry, aquaculture and agriculture. Pollution and disturbance of the breeding colonies are two additional problems.

Rufescent tiger-heron

Tigrisoma lineatum

Photo by Alejandro Tabini (Birding Peru)

Common name:

rufescent tiger-heron (en); socó-boi (pt); onoré rayé (fr); hocó colorado (es); marmorreiher (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Ciconiiformes

Family Ardeidae

Range:

These birds are found from southern Guatemala down to Ecuador, Brazil, northern Uruguay and north-eastern Argentina.

Size:

They are 66-76 cm long and weigh 800-900 g.

Habitat:

Rufescent tiger-herons are found in a wide range of inland wetlands, including bogs, marshes, rivers, lakes, swamps, fens and peatlands, but also in mangroves and swamp forests. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.000 m.

Diet:

They mostly forage at dusk and night, feeding on fishes, amphibians, reptiles and insects including grasshoppers, water beetles and dragonfly larvae.

Breeding:

Rufescent tiger-herons build solitary nests in tall trees, consisting of large platforms of sticks. There the female lays 2-3 eggs which she incubates alone for 31-34 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 4-5 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range and is described as common, at least in Brazil. The population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the impacts of habitat modification on population sizes, but overall it is not considered threatened at present.

Eastern reef-egret

Egretta sacra

Photo by Peter Strauss (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:

eastern reef-egret (en); garça-dos-recifes-oriental (pt); aigrette sacrée (fr); garceta costera oriental (es); riffreiher (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Ciconiiformes

Family Ardeidae

Range:

This species is found along the western Pacific coast, from Japan down to Thailand and all the way to Bangladesh and India. Then south, through Indonesia and Papua-New Guinea, and into Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and many islands in Polynesia.

Size:

The eastern reef-egret is 57-66 cm long and has a wingspan of 90-110 cm. These birds weigh 400 g.

Habitat:

These birds live on beaches, rocky shores, tidal rivers and inlets, mangroves, and exposed coral reefs.

Diet:

Eastern reef-egrets mostly eat fish, molluscs and crustaceans.

Breeding:

These birds can breed all year round, nesting in colonies in the jungle, between palms and mangroves or in cavities of old buildings. The nest is a platform made of sticks, twigs and leaves and lined with seaweed. There the female lays 2-4 green-blue eggs which are incubated by both parents for 25-28 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 5-6 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and a global population of 100.000-1.000.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Goliath heron

Ardea goliath

(Photo from Anifuate - Follow Me)

Common name:

goliath heron (en); garça-gigante (pt); héron goliath (fr); garza goliat (es); goliathreiher (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Ciconiiformes

Family Ardeidae

Range:

Occurs in wetlands throughout Africa, with the exception of the countries northwest of the Sahara. Present from Egipt, Mali and Mauritania in the north, all the way down to South Africa. In Asia the species is present along the southernmost areas of the continent, from the Arabian Peninsula, through Iraq, Iran and Pakistan, and into India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Size:

The goliath heron is the largest heron in the World, with a length of 120-152 cm and a wingspan of 185-230 cm. These birds can weigh up to 5 kg.

Habitat:

Uses both coastal and inland wetland habitats, including lakes, swamps, mangroves, flood plains and also river deltas and estuaries, reefs and waterholes in woodland savanna.

Diet:

Like most herons, it hunts by standing motionless in shalows or floating vegetation, waiting for the prey to come within range, after which it spears the prey with its open bill. It preys on a varity of animals including fish, amphibians, small lizards and snakes, small mammals, crabs and prawns and aquatic insects.

Breeding:

The breeding season takes place between November and March. Unlike other herons, this species nests in solitary pairs which build a nest with sticks and reeds on a small tree or in bushes that are surrounded by water, either in islands or river banks and lake shores. The female lays 2-5 pale blue eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 24-30 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 5 weeks after hatching, but remain with their parents for another 2-3 months.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at 6.700-67.000 individuals. Currently the population is stable, with no significant threats. However, the loss of wetland habitats due to human activities and climate change may pose a threat in the future.