Black Heron

Egretta ardesiaca (Wagler, 1827)

Black Heron Egretta ardesiaca is a heron of Africa, breeding widely south of the Sahara. It is best known for its fishing method, in which it spreads its wings to make a shaded canopy over the water. In breeding plumage it develops long plumes on the crown and nape. It is associated with shallow open waters, including lake margins, ponds, marshes, river edges, rice fields and seasonally flooded grasslands, and it also uses tidal rivers, creeks, alkaline lakes and tidal flats.

Order

Pelecaniformes

Family

Ardeidae — Herons, Bitterns

Breeding range

Africa: widespread s of the Sahara