Coastal heron

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Coastal heron
Coastal Heron (Egretta gularis)

Coastal Heron ( Egretta gularis )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pelecaniformes
Family : Herons (Ardeidae)
Genre : Egretta
Type : Coastal heron
Scientific name
Egretta gularis
( Bosc , 1792)
White morph of the subspecies E. g. schistacea near Hurghada on the Red Sea
Dark morph of the subspecies E. g. schistacea at Salalah in flight
Egretta gularis

The coastal heron ( Egretta gularis ) is a medium-sized heron . It occurs mainly on the coasts of West Africa and from the Red Sea to India . In the south-east of Europe he is a very rare stray visitor . There are also a few observations in Central Europe, which, however, have always involved refugees from prison .

description

The coastal heron habitat are wetlands on the coast. It nests in colonies, often with other wading birds , usually on platforms made of branches and twigs in trees or bushes. The clutch usually consists of two to three eggs.

The coastal heron comes in two color variants: there is a completely white and a dark gray morph ; Intermediate forms also occur. The white morph is very similar in appearance to the little egret , but has a slightly longer beak at the base and a slightly downward beak over its entire length. The gray morph can hardly be confused with any other species in the range of this heron. The birds pursue their prey in shallow water; often they run or shuffle their feet. They can also stand still and wait for prey . This consists of fish , crustaceans and mollusks .

Outside of its main range, the coastal heron (not necessarily as a breeding bird ) is also found in Spain , Tunisia , south-eastern Europe , Mozambique and Madagascar . As a random visitor , he has already flown to the USA . The coastal heron is considered safe according to the IUCN .

Subspecies

There are two subspecies:

  • Egretta gularis gularis (Bosc, 1792) (Atlantic coast) has recently been as a subspecies of E. garzetta gularis of silk Reihers classified
  • Egretta gularis schistacea (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1828) (Indian Ocean with Red Sea and Persian Gulf) has recently become a separate species E. schistacea , which is less closely related to the little egret than the species Egretta dimorpha native to Madagascar

supporting documents

Web links

Commons : Coastal Heron  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

credentials

  1. ↑ Hans-Günther Bauer, Einhard Bezzel and Wolfgang Fiedler (eds.): The compendium of birds in Central Europe: Everything about biology, endangerment and protection. Volume 1: Nonpasseriformes - non-sparrow birds , Aula-Verlag Wiebelsheim, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-89104-647-2 , p. 271
  2. ^ A b Haass, NK (unpublished): " Egretta gularis Bosc, 1792. Coastal Heron." In: Hölzinger, J. (unpublished): Die Vögel Baden-Württemberg 2.1. Stuttgart forum post