Egretta ardesiaca
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black Heron sighting in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, based on 32 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 251st most-seen of the 380 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.
July–August and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black Heron in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September–October and December–June, the lowest months.
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.
12th of 29
Of the 29 parks where we can rate Black Heron sightings, Tsavo West National Park ranks 12th at under 5%. The best odds are in Chobe National Park (Botswana, about 20%), Lake Manyara National Park (Tanzania, about 10%) and Akagera National Park (Rwanda, about 10%).
Same genus: Egretta
The closest relatives of the Black Heron that you can see in Tsavo West National Park (genus Egretta, Small Egrets and Herons) are Little Egret (about 10%) and intermediate 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 Tsavo West National Park (32 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.
