The black-headed heron (''Ardea melanocephala'') is a wading bird of the heron family

Ardeidae The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychu ...

, common throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa and

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. It is mainly resident, but some west African birds

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further north in the rainy season. This species usually breeds in the

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...

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in trees, reedbeds or cliffs. It builds a bulky stick nest, and lays 2–4 eggs. It often feeds in shallow water, spearing

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

s with its long, sharp bill. It will also hunt well away from water, taking large insects, small mammals, and birds. It will wait motionless for its prey, or slowly stalk its victim. The black-headed heron is a large bird, standing 85 cm tall, and it has a 150 cm wingspan. It is nearly as large as the

grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more norther ...

, which it resembles in appearance, although it is generally darker. Its plumage is largely grey above, and paler grey below. It has a powerful dusky bill. The flight is slow, with the neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and

bittern Bitterns are birds belonging to the subfamily Botaurinae of the heron family Ardeidae. Bitterns tend to be shorter-necked and more secretive than other members of the family. They were called ''hæferblæte'' in Old English; the word "bittern ...

s, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes, and spoonbills, which extend their necks. The white underwing coverts are striking in flight. The call is a loud croaking.

References

External links

* Black-headed heron
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds

Gallery

Image:Black-headed Heron flying RWD.jpg, File:Ardea melanocephala2.jpg, Gathering nest material File:Ardea melanocephala1.jpg,

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File:Ardea melanocephala Fuertes.jpg, Adult painted by Louis Agassiz Fuertes File:Black-headed Heron.jpg,

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{{Taxonbar, from=Q220578 Ardea (genus) Herons Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa Birds described in 1826 Taxa named by John George Children