Chinese Pond Heron

Overview

The Chinese pond heron (Ardeola bacchus) is an East Asian freshwater bird of the heron family, Ardeidae. It belongs to a group of six species known as pond herons and is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Typically 47 cm long with white wings, a yellow bill with a black tip, and yellow eyes and legs.
• Plumage is red, blue, and white during the breeding season, but greyish-brown and flecked with white at other times.

Habitat

Found in shallow fresh and salt water wetlands and ponds across China and adjacent temperate and subtropical East Asia. It is essentially a lowland bird, with its range delimited by subarctic regions to the north and mountain ranges to the west and south.

Diet

The species feeds on insects, fish, and crustaceans. It often nests in mixed-species heronries, laying a clutch of 3–6 blue-green eggs.

Did you know?

Although primarily an East Asian species, a stray bird was recorded stopping over on Saint Paul Island, Alaska, in 1997, marking the first occurrence of the species in North America.