Ardeola ralloides
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The squacco heron (Ardeola ralloides) is a small heron, 44–47 cm (17+1⁄2–18+1⁄2 in) long, of which the body is 20–23 cm (8–9 in), with 80–92 cm (31+1⁄2–36 in) wingspan. It is of Old World origins, breeding in southern Europe and the Greater Middle East.
The squacco heron is a migrant, wintering in Africa. It is rare north of its breeding range. The species has been recorded in Fernando de Noronha islands, and more rarely in mainland South America, as a vagrant. This is a stocky species with a short neck, short thick bill and buff-brown back. In summer, adults have long neck feathers. Its appearance is transformed in flight, when it looks very white due to the colour of the wings.
The squacco heron's breeding habitat is marshy wetlands in warm countries. The birds nest in small colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. Three to four eggs are laid. They feed on fish, frogs and insects. The squacco heron is a host of the Acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Ardeirhynchus spiralis.
The English common name squacco comes via Francis Willughby (c. 1672) quoting a local Italian name sguacco. The current spelling... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Ouagadougou | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | |
| 3 | Luxor | 🇪🇬 Egypt | |
| 4 | Cairo | 🇪🇬 Egypt | |
| 5 | Riyadh | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | |
| 6 | Manama | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | |
| 7 | Dakar | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 8 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 9 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 10 | N'Djamena | 🇹🇩 Chad |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Paris Zoological Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Walsrode World Bird Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Aquarium du palais de la Porte Dorée | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Royev Ruchey Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 7 | Oasi Naturalistica di Sant'Alessio | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 8 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 10 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Squacco Heron sighting in Abu Dhabi on a given day, based on 66 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 59th most-seen of the 159 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Squacco Heron in Abu Dhabi on a given day, against under 5% in July, September and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Squacco Heron sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
18th of 36
Of the 36 cities where we can rate Squacco Heron sightings, Abu Dhabi ranks 18th at about 10%. The best odds are in Antananarivo (Madagascar, about 80%), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso, about 70%) and Luxor (Egypt, about 60%).
Same family: Ardeidae
The closest relatives of the Squacco Heron that you can see in Abu Dhabi (family Ardeidae, Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns) are Western Reef Egret (about 20%), Grey Heron (about 10%) and Cattle Egret (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Squacco Heron is recorded against all the birds logged in Abu Dhabi (66 verified sightings), 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.
