Striated Heron
Striated HeronStriated HeronStriated HeronStriated Heron

Striated Heron

Butorides striata

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Pretoria

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

28 Verified sightings at Pretoria
25,232 In all 108 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Striated Heron

The striated heron (Butorides striata) also known as mangrove heron or little green heron, is a small heron, about 44 cm tall. It is mostly sedentary and noted for some interesting behavioural traits. The breeding habitat is in South America and the Caribbean. The striated heron was formerly considered to be conspecific with the little heron that is found in the Old World tropics from west Africa to Japan and Australia.

The striated heron was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with the other herons in the genus Ardea and coined the binomial name Ardea striata. Linnaeus specified the locality as Suriname. The specific epithet is from Latin striatus meaning "striated". The striated heron is now one of four closely related species placed in the genus Butorides that was described in 1852 by the English zoologist Edward Blyth.

This bird was long considered to be conspecific with the closely related North American species, the green heron, which is now usually separated as Butorides virescens, as well as the lava heron of the Galápagos Islands (now Butorides sundevalli, but often included... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call0:10

Colombia · 2022

© Frank Lambert · XC1040002 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Alarm call0:13

Brazil · 2025

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC961357 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Nocturnal flight call0:05

China · 2024

© 小菜鸟 · XC934679 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~70%
2 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
~60%
3 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
4 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~60%
5 Tanjung Puting National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~60%
6 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~50%
7 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~50%
8 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~40%
9 Ankarafantsika National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~40%
10 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~40%
11 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~40%
12 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~40%
13 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~40%
14 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
15 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
16 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
17 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
18 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
19 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~30%
20 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
21 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
22 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~30%
23 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
24 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
25 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~20%
26 Raja Ampat 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
27 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
28 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
29 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
30 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
31 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
32 Cape Range 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
33 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~20%
34 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
35 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~20%
36 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~20%
37 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
38 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
39 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
40 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
41 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
42 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
43 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
44 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
45 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
46 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
47 Mantadia National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~10%
48 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
49 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
50 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
51 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
52 Tangkoko Nature Reserve 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
53 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
54 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
55 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
56 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
57 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
58 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
59 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
60 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
61 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
62 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
63 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
64 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
65 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
66 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
67 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
68 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
69 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
70 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
71 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
72 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
73 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
74 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
75 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
<5%
76 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
77 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
78 Isla del Coco National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
79 Komodo National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
80 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
81 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
82 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
83 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
84 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
<5%
85 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
86 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
87 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
88 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
89 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
90 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
91 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
<5%
92 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
93 Cuc Phuong National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
<5%
94 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
95 Ranomafana National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
<5%
96 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
97 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
98 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
99 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
100 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
101 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
102 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
103 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
104 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
105 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
106 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
107 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
108 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Salvador 🇧🇷 Brazil
~60%
2 Antananarivo 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~50%
3 Fortaleza 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
4 Denpasar 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
5 Recife 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
6 Ouagadougou 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
~40%
7 Jinhua 🇨🇳 China
~40%
8 Jakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
9 Makassar 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
10 Zanzibar City 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Barcelona Zoo 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
2 Parque Zoobotânico Arruda Câmara (BICA) 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
3 Aquarama Barcelona 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
4 L'Oceanogràfic 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
5 Mangal das Garças 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
6 Cali Zoo 🇨🇴 Colombia In captivity

Closest Relatives at Pretoria

Cattle Egret
LC

Cattle Egret

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bubulcus ibis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Black-headed Heron
LC

Black-headed Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ardea melanocephala

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Little Egret
LC

Little Egret

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Egretta garzetta

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Grey Heron
LC

Grey Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ardea cinerea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Goliath Heron
LC

Goliath Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ardea goliath

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Purple Heron
LC

Purple Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ardea purpurea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Hadada
LC

Hadada

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bostrychia hagedash

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
African Sacred Ibis
LC

African Sacred Ibis

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Threskiornis aethiopicus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Hamerkop
LC

Hamerkop

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Scopus umbretta

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Laughing Dove

Laughing Dove

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spilopelia senegalensis

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Common Bulbul
LC

Common Bulbul

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pycnonotus barbatus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Southern Masked Weaver
LC

Southern Masked Weaver

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ploceus velatus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Striated Heron in Pretoria?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Striated Heron sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 100th most-seen of the 177 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Striated Heron in Pretoria?

February, July–August, October and December

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Striated Heron in Pretoria on a given day, against under 5% in January, March–June, September and November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Striated Heron?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Striated 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.

Is Pretoria the best place to see a Striated Heron?

84th of 146

Of the 146 cities where we can rate Striated Heron sightings, Pretoria ranks 84th at under 5%. The best odds are in Salvador (Brazil, about 60%), Antananarivo (Madagascar, about 50%) and Fortaleza (Brazil, about 50%).

Which relatives of the Striated Heron live in Pretoria?

Same family: Ardeidae

The closest relatives of the Striated Heron that you can see in Pretoria (family Ardeidae, Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns) are Cattle Egret (about 10%) and Black-headed Heron (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Striated Heron sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Striated Heron is recorded against all the birds logged in Pretoria (28 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.

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