Black Heron

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Black Heron

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Ciconiiformes
Family:	Ardeidae
Genus:	Egretta
Species:	E. ardesiaca

Binomial name

Egretta ardesiaca
(Wagler, 1827)

The Black Heron, Egretta ardesiaca is an African heron. It is a medium-sized(42.5–66 cm in height), black plumaged heron with yellow legs and feet. It is found south of the Sahara Desert, including Madagascar, and prefers shallow open, waters, such as the edges of fresh water lakes and ponds. It may also be found in marshes, river edges, rice fields, and seasonally flooded grasslands. In coastal areas, may be found feeding along tidal rivers and creeks, alkaline lakes, and tidal flats. Its breeding range is between Senegal and Sudan and to the south. It is found mainly on the eastern half of the continent.

The black heron has an interesting hunting method, called canopy feeding - it uses its wings like an umbrella, and uses the shade it creates to attract fish. Some black herons feed solitarily, while others feed in groups of up to 50 individuals, 200 being the highest number reported. The black heron feeds by day but especially prefers the time around sunset. It roosts communally at night, and coastal flocks roost at high tide. The primary food of the black heron is small fish, but it will also eat aquatic insects and crustaceans.

The nest of the black heron is constructed of twigs placed over water in trees, bushes, and reed beds, forming a solid structure. The heron nests at the beginning of the rainy season, in single or mixed-species colonies that may number in the hundreds. The eggs are dark blue and the clutch is two to four eggs.

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2004). Egretta ardesiaca. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 05 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
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