Purple Heron

The Purple Heron is a large bird, 80-90 cm tall, with a 120-150 cm wingspan, but slender for its size, weighing only 0.5-1.3 kg. It is somewhat smaller than the Grey Heron, from which it can be distinguished by its darker reddish-brown plumage, and, in adults, darker grey back. It has a narrower yellow bill, which is brighter in breeding adults.

The Purple Heron is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. The European populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa; the more northerly Asian populations also migrate further south within Asia. It is a rare but regular wanderer north of its breeding range. More

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adult (from side)The Purple Heron is the most colourful large heron in Sungei Buloh Nature Park, with a distinctive snake-like neck which is usually held in a prominent kink. Its colourful plumage actually provides excellent camouflage among the reeds. Purple Herons feed mainly on fish, but will also eat insects, amphibians, and occasionally shellfish, small mammals, reptiles and even small birds. Purple Herons are shy and solitary hunters, and appear to hunt mostly at night continuing into the early morning. More

The Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, common throughout southern Europe and Asia. It is strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa. This species breeds in colonies in reed beds or trees close to large lakes or other extensive wetlands. It builds a bulky stick nest. It feeds in shallow water, spearing fish, frogs or insects with its long, sharp bill. It will often wait motionless for prey, or slowly stalk its victim. More

Aspects of the topic purple heron are discussed in the following places at Britannica. Assorted References * description (in heron (bird)) ...gray, or common, heron (A. cinerea), widespread in the Old World. Largest of all is the goliath heron (A. goliath) of Africa, a 150-cm (59-inch) bird with a reddish head and neck. The purple heron (A. More

You shows us here the Purple Heron on a very nice way. Long neck, splendid plumage, splendid beak and eye. Sharpness and clarity are perfect. Very well done, TFS. More

Purple Heron - Purple Heron information - Purple Heron facts The Purple heron is approximately 70 cm tall and weighs about 1.3 kg. Its wingspan ranges from 120 to 150 cm. This bird has got an agile body. The plumage coloration depends on the region the bird lives in. The long bill is orange. The small and oval head is dark on the top whereas the upper part is whitish. The long neck is purplish-orange-brown with black stripes. More

Despite its English common name, the purple heron actually has a chestnut-red head and neck with striking vertical black stripes, grey shoulders and outer-wings, and a rich chestnut stomach and inner-wings (3). The Spanish name for the purple heron is garza imperial, which translates as the ‘imperial heron’, perhaps a more suitable name for this vibrant-looking species. Its regal appearance is emphasised by the elongated golden-ochre beak, proportionally larger than most species of its genus (2). More

Adult Purple Heron on the S'Albufera Marsh, Mallorca, May 1999. Purple Heron Adult Purple Heron on the S'Albufera Marsh, Mallorca, May 1999. Purple Heron Juvenile Purple Heron on the S'Albufera Marsh, Mallorca, May 1999, and adult in flight showing the chestnut underwing. More

For the purposes of our bird news services, Purple Heron is classed as Scarce: broadly speaking, species that are covered in British Birds' annual review of scarce species (and forms of similar rarity). More

The Purple Heron breeds in colonies in reed beds or trees close to large lakes or other extensive wetlands. It builds a bulky stick nest. It feeds in shallow water, spearing fish, frogs, insects, small mammals, reptiles and small birds. It will often wait motionless for prey, or slowly stalk its victim. It tends to keep within reedbeds more than the Grey Heron, and is often inconspicuous, despite its size. In flight in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. More

Shot Purple Heron1004 vuesTheBaldIbis * De ranas y peces también se vive ( en mi jardín )3:26 * Ajouter à la file d'attente Ajoutée à la file d'attente De ranas y peces también se vive ( en mi jardín )2212 vuesMukMokPak * Great Blue Heron eats Huge Fish2:28 * Ajouter à la file d'attente More

Purple heron chicks in nest© Tim Borrill / www.osfimages.com Purple heron on nest with chick© Jose Luis Gomez de Francisco / naturepl.com Purple heron pair on nest with chicks© Carlos Sanchez Alonso / www.osfimages.com Purple heron shading chicks with wings© Jose Luis Gomez de Francisco / naturepl. More

Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve: “I managed some shots of this Purple Heron on two occasions and I thought that something had pierced its lower jaw until a frontal shot of it opening its mouth revealed that its lower jaw was torn (pierced and torn by a wriggling catfish’s spines?) and a flap of tissue dangled from its lower jaw. This is like a patient having its trachea cut to allow him to breathe. More

Purple Heron in comfort mode - Posted by BESG on 16 November 09, Monday Contributed by KN Pan The Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) is a common resident in Singapore. Formerly more widespread, the population decline has been attributed to loss of nesting grounds and human disturbances. More

Purple Heron, Marais d'Yves, 14-Jun-09 Purple Heron, Marais d'Yves, 14-Jun-09 Purple Heron, near Marais d'Yves (Charente-Maritime, France), 14th June 2009 Purple Heron, Marais de la Brie, 14-Jun-09 Purple Heron, Marais de la Brie, 14-Jun-09 Purple Heron, Marais de la Brie, 14-Jun-09 Purple Heron, Marais de la Brie, 14-Jun-09 Purple Heron, Marais de la Brie (Charente-Maritime, France), 14th June 2009 Purple Heron, Ponta da Erva, 20-Apr-06 More

Other Pics: Purple Heron in Flight Other Names French Héron pourpré German Purpurreiher Spanish Garza Imperial Swedish Purpurhäger Dutch Purperreiger Italian Airone rosso World: Widespread through the western Palearctic, N Africa, Kazakhstan and Iran and through sub-saharan Africa. Also present in Madagascar, southern and eastern Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Kenya: Frequents any water (including seasonal pools) that have a dense fringe of reeds or other vegetation. More

The Purple Heron is a large bird, standing 80 cm tall, and it has a 120 cm wingspan. It is somewhat smaller than Grey Heron, from which it can be distinguishes by its darker reddish-brown plumage, and, in adults, darker grey back. It has a narrower yellow bill, which is brighter in breeding adults. It has a slow flight, with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes and spoonbills, which extend their necks. More

of Purple Heron looks particularly snake-like, with more of an S-shape in flight. The call is a loud croaking "krek". The Purple heron is a likely basis for the Egyptian Phoenix (mythology)|phoenix, or bennu, which means purple heron . The Purple Heron is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. References - * BirdLife International (2004). Ardea purpurea. More

The image below by YK Chia shows another Purple Heron, this time a juvenile, with a lizard between its beak. If you look closely, you can see where the lizard had its body pierced. Thanks to Chan Yoke Meng and YK Chia for the use of their images. Check out YK's blog. More