mangrove birds: herons (ardeidae)

CONTENTS

Fauna index

Vertebrates: Birds

Peter K L Ng and N Sivasothi (editors)

Herons
Family Ardeidae

Herons have long legs and long beaks, and they usually frequent the water's edge in search of fish and frogs.

Striated heron Butorides striatus	The relatively small and short-necked Striated heron, Butorides striatus (46 cm) and the larger, long-necked Purple heron, Ardea purpurea (97 cm) are common resident species. They are often solitary and occur on mudflats, as well as along canals and reservoir edges.	Purple heron Ardea purpurea
In Sungei Buloh Nature Park, at the right time of the year, you can easily see Purple and Grey herons (Ardea cinerea) flying in to nest or feed chicks in a treetop heronry.

Black-crowned night heron Nycticorax nycticorax	The Black-crowned night heron, Nycticorax nycticorax (61 cm) on the other hand, is gregarious and largely nocturnal. It nests in colonies in mangrove trees and flies out at dusk to the mudflats or reservoir edge to hunt.	Little egret Egretta garzetta
	The Little egret, Egretta garzetta (61 cm) is a migratory species that is seen mainly towards the end or beginning of the year. <<Back to mangrove birds

What is mangrove?
Introduction

The Ecosystem
Abiotic
Biotic

Value
Intro
Products
Indirect uses
Potential uses

About Mangroves
in Singapore
History
Mangroves to visit
Conservation

From "A Guide to Mangroves of Singapore", Peter K. L. Ng and N. Sivasothi (editors)
Volume 1: The Ecosystem and Plant Diversity and Volume 2: Animal Diversity
Authors: Kelvin K. P. Lim, Dennis H. Murphy, T. Morgany, N. Sivasothi, Peter K. L. Ng,
B. C. Soong, Hugh T. W. Tan, K. S. Tan & T. K. Tan
BP Guide to Nature Series published by the Singapore Science Centre, sponsored by British Petroleum
© 2001 Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, The National University of Singapore & The Singapore Science Centre