Ardea humbloti
Silhouette: Giles Laurent · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Humblot's heron (Ardea humbloti), also known as the Madagascar heron, is a species of heron. It is commonly found on the north and west coasts of Madagascar but it is also present in the Comoro Islands and Mayotte. Humblot's heron is considered an endangered species due to its declining population. The major threats the heron faces are poaching, habitat destruction, and the invasion of alien species such as the water hyacinth.
Humblot's heron is part of the subfamily Ardeinae, which are known as "typical herons". It has been suggested that Humblot's heron may be a darker morph of the grey heron due to their many similar physical characteristics, but this claim has been successfully refuted. Humblot's heron was formally described by Henri Milne-Edwards and Alfred Grandidier in 1885.
Local Malagasy names for Humblot's heron include "Kisirano", "Langaro" and "Langaroko", however these names are also associated with different species of herons, such as the grey heron. The scientific name commemorates the French naturalist Leon Humblot.
Humblot's heron has a uniform dark gray plumage on its body and darker feathers on its forehead and chin. Its nape feathers... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Humblot's Heron sighting in Ankarafantsika National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 69th most-seen of the 83 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Humblot's Heron in Ankarafantsika National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, June and September–December, the lowest months. That is one of Ankarafantsika National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 560 mm in January. January–March and May have too few records to rate.
Only Ankarafantsika National Park, in our data
Ankarafantsika National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Humblot's Heron sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Ardea
The closest relatives of the Humblot's Heron that you can see in Ankarafantsika National Park (genus Ardea, Great Herons and Egrets) are Purple Heron (about 50%) and Great Egret (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Humblot's Heron is recorded against all the birds logged in Ankarafantsika National Park (22 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
