Ardeola ralloides - Squacco Heron
Feather characters. Barbules are of medium length (1.2-1.5 mm) and are not, or only slightly pigmented. Borders between cells are visible, but hardly swollen and thus too small to qualify as nodes. These nodal structures (11-13 per mm) have about the same size along the entire length of the barbules, only slightly decreasing towards the tip. Villi are absent and internodes are straight. Minute prongs are mostly located on proximal end of barbules on both sides of the pennulum, but they are not always seen.
Field characters. Size 44-47 cm. Weight 287 g (230-370) (Dunning, 1993). A compact thick-necked bird with fawn-coloured plumage and long feathers which extend as a mane from nape to back. In flight, pale buff and blackish streaked birds look predominantly white due to white wings, tail and rump. In winter, mantle browner and neck streaked blackish. When breeding, bill bright blue with black tip, legs flesh-red; outside breeding season, bill green-yellow with black tip and legs yellowish-green.
Voice. At dusk a harsh, high-pitched "karr".
Distribution. Breeds locally in small to moderately large colonies. Map: see MapIt.
Habitat. Prefers stagnant fresh waters flanked by dense aquatic vegetation and woody shrubs in lowland valleys, lagoons, wetlands and deltas.
Food. Chiefly insects and larvae, amphibians and fish; usually feeds crepuscular.