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WetlandPlatform nestLarge · 1.1 kg
What the Purple Heron sounds like
ID tip
The purple heron is a large bird, 78–97 cm (31–38 in) in length with a standing height from 70 to 94 cm (28 to 37 in) and a 120–152 cm (47–60 in) wingspan. However, it is slender for its size, weighing only 0.5 to 1.35 kg (1.1 to 3.0 lb). It is somewhat smaller than the grey heron, from which it can be distinguished by its darker reddish-brown plumage, and, in adults, its darker grey back. Adults have the forehead and the crown of the head black, with a dark stripe down the back of the neck that terminates in a slender, dangling crest.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Purple Heron
One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is April, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Purple Heron
The map shades 131 countries with regular records, and 9 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
Recorded as a rare visitor in Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Mayotte, Australia, Somalia, Brazil, Maldives, North Korea.
About the Purple Heron
The purple heron is a wide-ranging heron species. It breeds in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Palearctic. The Western Palearctic populations migrate between breeding and wintering habitats whereas the African and tropical-Asian populations are primarily sedentary, except for occasional dispersive movements. It is similar in appearance to the more common grey heron but is slightly smaller, more slender and has darker plumage. It is also a more evasive bird, favouring densely vegetated habitats near water, particularly reed beds. It hunts for a range of prey including fish, rodents, frogs and insects, either stalking them or standing waiting in ambush.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Black-headed HeronArdea melanocephalaThe black-headed heron is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, common throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar.
Cocoi HeronArdea cocoiThe cocoi heron is the largest of the South American heron species and measures 95–130 cm (37.5–51 in) in length, although body sizes vary regionally; with southern individuals probably being the largest.
White-necked HeronArdea pacificaThe white-necked heron is a large, diurnal, long-legged waterbird.
Side by side: Grey Heron vs Purple Heron · Purple Heron vs Western Cattle Egret · Purple Heron vs Yellow-crowned Night Heron · Cocoi Heron vs Purple Heron · Purple Heron vs White-necked Heron
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