Paddy heron
| Paddy heron | ||||||||||||
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Paddy heron in splendid plumage heron |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ardeola grayii | ||||||||||||
| ( Sykes , 1832) |
The Indian Pond Heron ( Ardeola grayii ) is a bird art from the family of herons .
features
The paddy heron is a small, stocky heron with a maximum body length of 45 cm. In plumage is his backs of reed brown color, it that easy with the European Rallenreiher be confused. In flight, however, it looks quite bright due to its white underside of wings. The underside of the fuselage is also white, apart from the striped chest. In the splendid dress, the back is maroon.
Occurrence
It inhabits reed-covered wetlands, mangroves and swamps of southern Asia . Its distribution area extends from southern Iran via India and Sri Lanka to Bangladesh . A subspecies ( Ardeola grayii phillipsi ) also lives in the Maldives . But it also invades villages and garbage dumps in order to feed on human waste.
behavior
The paddy heron commonly feeds on small fish , amphibians, and insects . It breeds twice a year, namely from May to September and November to January. It nests in small colonies, often together with other heron species. Its nest is usually a platform made of twigs and reeds. There the female lays three to five green-blue eggs.
literature
- Bikram Grewal: Birds in India and Nepal. Giessen 2000.
- Hermann Heinzel u. a .: Parey's bird book. All birds of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Berlin 1992.
Web links
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Ardeola grayii in the Internet Bird Collection
- Ardeola grayii in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2011. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed November 17, 2011th
- Ardeola grayii at Birds of India
- Ardeola grayii at the Prakriti Wildlife Club