10 Colorful Species of Egret And Herons of India
The herons and egret bird species belong to same family of Ardeidae also the bitterns. Egrets are Herons with white plumage, medium- to large in size and also have different colour morphs varies geographically but Bitterns are different.
Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii)
Indian pond heron is the most common species of heron found in the Indian subcontinent, are very common in and around Indian cities.
The small heron has an excellent way of camouflage, usually feed on fish and amphibians at the edge of ponds and marshy wetlands.
Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)
The purple heron wading bird is very much similar in appearance to grey heron by size and shape but has beautiful plumage.
Purple herons are large inhabits marshes, lagoons, lakes and mangrove swamps from the Indian Subcontinent to Africa and Asia.
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
The grey heron is resident of the Indian Subcontinent and can be seen around lakes and backwaters of dam, rivers and marshes.
Grey herons are also very large birds with powerful beaks and feeds on fish, amphibians, small mammals like other wading bird of storks and cranes.
Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
The black-crowned night heron also known as just night heron, Is a bird of both fresh and salt-water wetlands of India.
Night Heron heron is a migratory bird in some part of its range, active mainly at night or early morning.
Western Reef Heron/Western Reef Egret
Western reef heron is also called western reef egret, mainly found around the coastal distribution of India and occurs in two plumage variation.
The medium-sized heron breeds along the coast of India and also occurs in the Islands of Lakshadweep and Andaman.
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
The little egret species is a white bird with black beak, always found feeding on small creatures in shallow water.
Little egret seen in small flocks, breeds colonially and habitat varies from coastal, shores of lakes and mangrove.
Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia)
Intermediate egret or median egret is a resident breeder of the Indian subcontinent, in size between the great and little egret.
The egret with long neck and large body is a medium-sized heron, entirely white in color yellow beak.
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
The great egret also known as great white heron is distributed across most of the Indian Subcontinent, also found in various parts of the world. Great egret are large heron with white plumage and yellow beak, partially migratory and breeds close to large lakes.
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus)
The cattle egret is closely related to the heron species, feeding on insect and small vertebrate walking around cattle grasslands, farmlands, and rice paddies.
Cattle egret species has a large range and some populations are migratory, have been seen flying at morning and evening with flocks of Indian pond herons.
Striated Heron (Butorides striata)
The striated heron (Butorides striata) also known as mangrove heron, Their breeding habitat is small wetlands in the Old World tropics.
5 Species of Bittern Found in India
Bittern are a small species from family Ardeidae, pale orangish brown or yellow in color and always found around the wetlands and riverbeds.
- Black Bittern
- Little Bittern
- Yellow Bittern
- Cinnamon Bittern
- Eurasian Bittern
Black bittern is another lesser known species of bittern found in India, feed on insects, fish and amphibians. It is a fairly large species feed on insects, fish, and amphibians and breeds in tropical of India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
