Herons · Pelicans and herons
Squacco Heron
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Ardeola ralloides
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How to recognize it
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40–49 cm, small heron-sized
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Buff-yellow back, white belly and wings
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Short neck, thick bill, red legs
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In flight looks mostly white, with white wings
About the species
In breeding plumage, the squacco heron looks buff-brown above and pale below, with white wings and belly that stand out when it takes flight. It also shows red legs, a greenish-yellow bill with a black tip, and long white plumes edged in black on the back of the head.
It usually hunts alone or in small groups, moving quietly through reed beds and thick waterside growth. At dusk it feeds on fish, frogs, and aquatic insects, and its call is not often noticed over the marsh.
Look for it in freshwater marshes, reed-filled wetlands, and shallow lowlands around the Mediterranean and farther east. It breeds in colonies with other waterbirds, nesting on reed stems or low trees, and after the breeding season it moves to Africa for winter.
Where to find
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Along reed-fringed pond edges and canal banks — look for a still shape standing in shallow water at dusk.
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In river backwaters and delta-like wetlands with shrubs at the waterline — it gives itself away with quick darts after frogs or small fish.
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By quiet ponds with low trees — sometimes perches on thin branches over the water before hunting.
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At marshy edges of city parks and fish ponds — watch for it half-hidden in reeds, scanning slowly for prey.
