Egretta ardesiaca
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
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...
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 3 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 4 | Dakar | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 5 | Zanzibar City | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Dar es-Salaam | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Lagos | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 8 | Monrovia | 🇱🇷 Liberia | |
| 9 | Cotonou | 🇧🇯 Benin | |
| 10 | Mombasa | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Black Heron sighting in Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary on a given day, based on 95 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 37th most-seen of the 173 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Black Heron in Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary on a given day, against about 40% in November, the lowest month. Those are among Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary's driest months, with almost no rain against 55 mm in August. May to October have too few records to rate.
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.
Yes
Of the 30 parks where we can rate Black Heron sightings, Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Chobe National Park (Botswana, about 20%) and Lake Manyara National Park (Tanzania, about 10%).
Same genus: Egretta
The closest relatives of the Black Heron that you can see in Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (genus Egretta, Small Egrets and Herons) are Little Egret (about 70%), Western Reef Egret (about 30%) and intermediate egret (about 30%), 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 Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (95 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.
