Ardeola ralloides
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Squacco Heron sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, based on 52 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 155th most-seen of the 202 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Squacco Heron in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months. That is one of Sierra de Guadarrama National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 110 mm in November.
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.
41st of 45
Of the 45 parks where we can rate Squacco Heron sightings, Sierra de Guadarrama National Park ranks 41st at under 5%. The best odds are in Ankarafantsika National Park (Madagascar, about 50%), Amboseli National Park (Kenya, about 50%) and Chobe National Park (Botswana, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Ardeidae
The closest relatives of the Squacco Heron that you can see in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (family Ardeidae, Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns) are Grey Heron (about 30%), Little Egret (about 20%) and Great 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 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (52 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.
