[order] CICONIIFORMES | [family] Ardeidae | [latin] Ardeola bacchus | [authority] Bonaparte, 1855 | [UK] Chinese Pond Heron | [FR] Crabier chinois | [DE] Bacchusreiher | [ES] Garcilla China | [NL] Chinese Poelreiger
Subspecies
| Genus | Species | subspecies | Region | Range |
| Ardeola | bacchus | OR | e |
Genus
Ardeola is a genus of small herons, typically 40?50 cm long with 80?100 cm wingspan. Most breed in the tropical Old World, but the migratory Squacco Heron occurs in southern Europe and the Middle East and winters in Africa. These pond herons are stocky species with a short neck, short thick bill, typically buff or brownish back, and coloured or streaked foreneck and breast. In summer, adults may have long neck feathers. Ardeola herons are transformed in flight, looking very white due to the brilliant white wings.
Physical charateristics
The Chinese Pond Heron is typically 47 cm long with white wings, a yellow bill with a black tip, yellow eyes and legs. Its overall colour is red, blue and white during breeding season, and greyish-brown and flecked with white at other times
Listen to the sound of Chinese Pond Heron
[audio:http://www.planetofbirds.com/MASTER/CICONIIFORMES/Ardeidae/sounds/Chinese Pond Heron.mp3]
Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto
| wingspan min.: | 75 | cm | wingspan max.: | 90 | cm |
| size min.: | 42 | cm | size max.: | 45 | cm |
| incubation min.: | 18 | days | incubation max.: | 22 | days |
| fledging min.: | 28 | days | fledging max.: | 32 | days |
| broods: | 2 | eggs min.: | 4 | ||
| eggs max.: | 6 |
Range
Oriental Region : East
Habitat
Usually freshwater, especially paddyfields, also marshes, riverbanks and lakesides.
Reproduction
Breeding season varies with the range. This species nests in small colonies, sometimes with other heron’s species. Chinese Pond-heron’s nest is located fairly high in trees, or among the tall grasses in water. It is made with small twigs, and the interior may be lined with leaves and grasses. It lays 4 to 5 blue green eggs, often in mixed nests where other herons lay their eggs.
Incubation lasts about 18 to 22 days, by both parents. The young flegde after about a month. This species produces two broods per season.
Incubation lasts about 18 to 22 days, by both parents. The young flegde after about a month. This species produces two broods per season.
Feeding habits
The diet includes insects, crustaceans and fish.
Video Chinese Pond Heron
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ6ZV5uUTLY
copyright: Bob Thompson
Conservation
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size may be moderately small to large, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Migration
Indian birds sedentary, with some local movements. N populations migratory: Chinese birds leave breeding grounds in Sept/Oct, returning in Mar/Apr; occurs in Malay Peninsula Sept- Apr, and in Borneo Sept-Feb. Occasional in Taiwan; vagrant to USSR and South Korea; single adult in Norway, autumn 1973.
Distribution map
