Ardeola rufiventris
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The rufous-bellied heron (Ardeola rufiventris) is a species of heron in the genus Ardeola, the pond herons, of the family Ardeidae. It is found in southern Africa. The rufous-bellied heron was formally described in 1850 by the Swedish zoologist Carl Jakob Sundevall from specimens collected along the Mooi River near Potchefstroom in South Africa. Sundevall coined the binomial name Ardea rufiventris. The specific epithet rufiventris combines Latin rufus meaning "ruddy" or "rufous" with venter, ventris meaning "belly". The rufous-bellied heron is now placed in the genus Ardeola that was introduced in 1822 by the German naturalist Friedrich Boie. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
This is a small dark species of heron with a dark grey head, back and breast contrasting with a rufous belly, wings and tail. When seen in flight the bright yellow legs and feet contrast with the dark feathers of the underside of the body. Juveniles are paler and browner, darkening as they mature.
It is found in eastern, central and southern sub-Saharan Africa widespread although absent from the arid south-west and is found... Wikipedia →
Flight call0:07
Zambia · 2023
© Dries Van de Loock · XC791517 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 2 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 3 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 4 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 5 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 8 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 10 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 11 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 12 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-bellied Heron sighting in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, based on 81 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 121st most-seen of the 275 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-bellied Heron in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November, the lowest month. That is one of Mana Pools National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 290 mm in January. March has too few records to rate.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-bellied 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.
4th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Rufous-bellied Heron sightings, Mana Pools National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Akagera National Park (Rwanda, about 30%), Lower Zambezi National Park (Zambia, about 20%) and Moremi Game Reserve (Botswana, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-bellied Heron is recorded against all the birds logged in Mana Pools National Park (81 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.
