Purple Heron

Ardea purpurea

Wetlands. Adult has red-brown neck; young birds mostly light brown; below white.

Bitterns, Egrets, Herons

Not Endemic

Description

Fairly common resident. Often confused with [Goliath Heron] but is much smaller, more slender. The striped neck snake-like, the bill thin.Immature entirely rufous with darker feathers on the upper parts and rufous patches on upper wings visible in flight; similar size as adult. Solitary and secretive, preferring the shelter of reeds and other emergent vegetation fringing quiet dams, pans and marsh pools. May visit garden fish ponds. Nomadic.

Quick Facts

Bird Family

Water-associated birds with long bills and necks and long legs. When breeding, many species have long, filamentous plumes on their back or lower breast (or both), while others have more or less permanent long plumes on their napes. In flight, they tuck their heads into their shoulders, thus differing from storks, ibises and cranes. They seldom soar. Many herons are solitary in habit and secretive; others are gregarious and seen more frequently. Most perch in trees and nest in trees or reeds, or even on the ground. All have harsh, squawking voices heard mostly when flushed. Four comparative silhouettes represent (a): Dwarf Bittern; (b): Squacco Heron; (c): Little Egret; and (d): Grey Heron.