Category Zoology

            The purple heron is a large bird with a gracefully thin neck and dark purple coloured under parts. They prefer living in wet, vegetated ecosystems like marshlands and mangroves. They favour densely packed vegetation.

            These birds have a liking for solitude and are not noisy. They can be spotted waiting in dense vegetation, with neck outstretched, looking for prey. Fish, small rodents, frogs, insects etc. are their usual preys. Although they prefer waiting in plant cover to attack a passing prey, they won’t mind a chase-and-stalk session either. They are active during dawn and dusk. In the middle of day and night, they roost along with other birds.

            The purple heron is a very common bird in most parts of India and are also found in Europe, Africa and other regions of Asia. The IUCN observes that the decrease in wetland areas is driving down the population of these birds. But their numbers are still not low enough to be of any concern in the immediate future.

            The black-crowned night heron’s name is self explanatory. This bird has a black crown, which is the upper part of its head. The body is covered with grey and cream coloured feathers.

            Its legs and neck are short, but thick. They have an overall length of around 65 cm and a weight of roughly 800 g. The eyes are large and ruby red.

            As their name suggests, these are nocturnal birds that stay hidden in the thick leaf cover of trees during daytime and set out to hunt at dusk.

            These birds build their nests in colonies, especially in fresh or salt-water wetlands. Around their nests, they are very noisy, making a kind of quok or wok sound.

            They would wait in shallow water, sitting with water up to the belly, for prey to get close. Small fish, shelled creatures, frogs, aquatic insects, small mammals or birds can constitute a delicious dinner for the black-crowned night heron.

These birds are very common throughout India, in Europe, Africa and the Americas. 

      The little owl is a small owl inhabiting most parts of India. This is a sedentary species which is found in open country-side in a great range of habitats. If they are living in an area with a large amount of human activity, little owls may grow used to humans and will remain on their perch, often in full view, while people are around. It feeds on prey such as insects and earthworms, as well as small vertebrates including amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. 

            The Indian pond heron is a very popular bird which is found wherever there is water, even if it is a temporary puddle. Only as large as a village hen, these birds are small, with short thick legs. The plumage is generally soil brown in colour. The head is dull yellowish with heavy dark streaks. The bill is yellow and has a dark tip.

            The Indian pond heron usually sits hunched in shallow water waiting for an aquatic prey, which is mostly a fish. This scene may give an impression that this bird is half-blind and many people does seriously believe that this is so. Although their food collection is a solitary business, these birds roost communally.

            Also, several birds may be in search of prey pretty close together. Their nest looks similar to that of a crow, made of twigs on top of large trees. They are not so strict about proximity to water bodies and can settle in the middle of towns and villages. Their nests may be re-used for many years. 

          The grey heron is a large grey or black coloured heron usually found in all types of inland and coastal water. It has also adapted to living in cities. It is very thin and tall with featherless legs. It has a long thin neck shaped like the letter ‘S’ and a matching narrow head. Its bill is yellow in colour and is strong and pointed like a dagger. Although at first glance, this bird is similar in appearance to a stork or a crane, it flies at a slower pace.

          This bird exhibits unusual hunting behaviour. We can see it standing motionless in shallow water. Its head will be sunk between the shoulders, giving an impression that it is in deep sleep and has no idea what is going on around it. But actually, it is perfectly alert and concentrates fully on watching movements under water. If any fish comes within striking distance of its bill, bingo! It’s game over for the fish. These birds are seen singly, as well as in small groups. But roosting and resting are always done in colonies atop tall trees. India has a lot of grey herons, including those who breed in our country and those who are just visitors during the winter season.

            The little heron is a small, dark heron very popularly seen in most parts of India, except the Northwest. These birds’ also known as striated herons have a black colour on the top of the head and lines along the cheek and the bills. If found in shadows they will appear mostly black. These little birds do not like company and are always found singly.

            They do not migrate to anywhere and are always confined to pools, streams, mangroves etc. They hide in vegetation to stalk their prey, by sitting on a low branch just above the water level. From there, they can easily spear a passing fish, frog or an insect. They also build their nests close to ground in shrubs, small trees or even on covered ground near water. If you intimidate their young ones, they will instantly stretch their necks out, with the bills pointed towards sky. Amusingly, we don’t know clearly what the use of this ‘drama’ is.

            The little herons are common in Africa, other parts of Asia, Indian and Pacific islands. It was thought for long that the green heron found in North America and the little heron belong to the same species.