Egretta ardesiaca
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The black heron (Egretta ardesiaca), also known as the black egret, is an African heron. It uses its wings to form a canopy when fishing. The black heron is a medium-sized bird, with a typical height range of 42.5 to 66 cm (16.7 to 26.0 in). Their weight can range from 0.27 to 0.39 kg (0.60 to 0.86 lb). They are known for their black plumage, black bill, and yellow feet. In breeding plumage it grows long plumes on the crown and nape.
The black heron occurs patchily through Sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal and Sudan to South Africa, but is found mainly on the eastern half of the continent and in Madagascar. It has also been observed in Greece and Italy.
It prefers shallow open waters, such as the edges of freshwater lakes and ponds. It may also be found in marshes, river edges, rice fields, and seasonally flooded grasslands. In coastal areas, it may be found feeding along tidal rivers and creeks, in alkaline lakes, and tidal flats.
The black heron uses a hunting method called canopy feeding — it uses its wings like an umbrella, creating shade that attracts fish. This technique was documented on episode 5 of the BBC's The... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 3 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 4 | Dakar | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 5 | Zanzibar City | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Dar es-Salaam | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Lagos | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 8 | Cotonou | 🇧🇯 Benin | |
| 9 | Mombasa | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Freetown | 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black Heron sighting in Accra on a given day, based on 94 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 38th most-seen of the 162 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black Heron in Accra on a given day, against about 10% in February, April, August and December, the lowest months. That is one of Accra's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 200 mm in June.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Heron sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 16
Of the 16 cities where we can rate Black Heron sightings, Accra ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Antananarivo (Madagascar, about 70%).
Same genus: Egretta
The closest relatives of the Black Heron that you can see in Accra (genus Egretta, Small Egrets and Herons) are Western Reef Egret (about 20%), intermediate egret (about 10%) and Little Egret (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Heron is recorded against all the birds logged in Accra (94 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.
