Western Reef Heron

Egretta gularis (Bosc, 1792)

Western Reef Heron, Egretta gularis, is a heron of coastal areas in Africa, the Palearctic and the Oriental Region, breeding from west Africa through north-east Africa to western India and Sri Lanka. It is placed in the family Ardeidae and the order Pelecaniformes. The species shows several plumage forms, including slaty grey, white and black, with the black form carrying a white throat in west Africa. The white form can be mistaken for Little Egret, but its bill is paler and larger. It was described by Bosc in 1792.

Order

Pelecaniformes

Family

Ardeidae — Herons, Bitterns

Breeding range

Africa, Palearctic, Oriental Region: w AF, ne AF to w India and Sri Lanka