Mangrove heron
| Mangrove heron | ||||||||||||
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Mangrove Heron ( Butorides striata ) |
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| Butorides striata | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
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The mangrove heron ( Butorides striata , syn .: Butorides striatus ) is a species from the heron family that is found worldwide in the tropics and subtropics.
The stock situation of the mangrove heron was classified in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 as “ Least Concern (LC) ” = “not endangered”.
description
The mangrove heron is a small heron with a length of 40 to 46 cm and a short neck. The wingspan is 55 centimeters. The weight varies between 200 and 250 grams.
The plumage is gray-green, lighter on the ventral side and includes a black cap with a long black crest. The beak is black, the legs are pale yellow to orange. The sexes are outwardly similar. Young animals are more dull in color, with a dark brown back and white spots on the wings. The neck and chest are brown with white stripes. The legs are dull green.
Numerous subspecies have developed within its large distribution area, five subspecies alone are differentiated for Australia.
Way of life
The mangrove heron lives very hidden on river and lake banks, swamps and mangroves in dense vegetation. The birds are shy loners and sometimes active at night. Its diet consists of fish, crustaceans and aquatic invertebrates. Usually he lies in wait for his food without moving, his head is pulled back between his shoulders and his posture is horizontal. As soon as prey comes within reach, it snaps forward, stretching its neck.
The mangrove heron breeds mostly in mangroves. There he will find a rich supply of food and protection from most predators. It builds its nest in small bushes or often in trees with branches hanging over the water. The nest is not built very carefully. Occasionally, the two to four eggs that are inside are visible from below. If the clutch is lost, mangrove herons are able to lay a new clutch within 14 days. Mangrove herons regularly raise two clutches per breeding season, and mangrove herons occasionally use the first nest.
supporting documents
literature
- PJ Higgins (Ed.): Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds , Volume 1, Ratites to Ducks, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1990, ISBN 0195530683
Web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Butorides striatus in the Internet Bird Collection
- Butorides striatus at www.naturia.per.sg (English)
Single receipts
- ^ ITIS report query for Syn. Butorides striatus. Integrated Taxonomy Information System, accessed March 10, 2010 .
- ↑ a b Butorides striata in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Accessed January 29, 2018th
- ↑ Higgins, p. 1010
- ↑ Higgins, p. 1009
- ^ Martin Woodcock , Hermann Heizel: Collins Handguide to the Birds of the Indian Sub-Continent , ISBN 000219712X
- ↑ Higgins, p. 1012
- ↑ Higgins, p. 1010
- ↑ Higgins, p. 1013