Posts Tagged ‘purple heron’

Spotted at the Santo André Lagoon in the Alentejo region of Portugal. 

The Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. The European populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa; the more northerly Asian populations also migrate further south within Asia. It is a rare but regular wanderer north of its breeding range.

Purple Heron, Purperreiger, Purpurreiher, Garça-Roza, Garza Imperial

The Purple Heron is a large bird, 80-90 cm tall, with a 120-150 cm wingspan, but slender for its size, weighing only 0.5-1.3 kg. It is somewhat smaller than the Grey Heron, from which it can be distinguished by its darker reddish-brown plumage, and, in adults, darker grey back. It has a narrower yellow bill, which is brighter in breeding adults.

The Purple Heron breeds in colonies in reed beds or trees close to large lakes or other extensive wetlands. It builds a bulky stick nest.

It feeds in shallow water, spearing fish, frogs, insects, small mammals, reptiles and small birds. It will often wait motionless for prey, or slowly stalk its victim. It tends to keep within reedbeds more than the Grey Heron, and is often inconspicuous, despite its size.

 Other synonyms

Afrikaans: Rooireier
Asturian: Garcia Roxa
Breton: Ar gerc'heiz ruz
Catalan: Agró roig
Catalan (Balears): Agró roig
Cebuano: dugwak
Czech: Volavka ?ervená
Welsh: Crëyr porffor, Cr?yr Porffor
Danish: Purpurhejre
German: Purpurreiher, Purpurreiher-purpurea
English: Cape Verde Heron, North-western Purple Heron, Purple Heron
Esperanto: Purpura ardeo
Spanish: Garza Imperial
Estonian: Purpurhaigur
Basque: Agró roig
Finnish: Ruskohaikara
Faroese: Korkahegri
French: Héron pourpré
Irish: Corr Chorcra
Galician: Agró roig
Hindi: Peria vellai kokku
Croatian: Caplja Danguba
Hungarian: Vörös gém
Indonesian: Cangak Merah, Cangkak merah
Icelandic: Rauðhegri
Italian: Airone rosso
Japanese: murasakisagi, Murasaki-sagi
Kwangali: Samunkoma Gomugeha
Latin: Ardea purpurea, Ardea purpurea bournei, Ardea purpurea purpurea
Lithuanian: Purpurinis garnys
Malagasy: Kehambe, Langorofalafa, Langorovoanga, Vagna, Vanga, vano, Vanomena
Mamasa: korong ula
Malay: Bangau Paya, Pucung Serandau
Dutch: Purperreiger, Purpurreiger
Norwegian: Purpurhegre
Polish: czapla purpurowa
Portuguese: garça imperial, Garça-imperial, garça-roxa, Garça-vermelha, Vermelha, vermelha.
Portuguese (Brazil): garça-roxa
Romansh: irun cotschen
Northern Sami: Purporháigir
Slovak: Volavka purpurová
Slovenian: rjava caplja, rjava ?aplja, rjavacaplja
Albanian: Çapka rrudhi
Serbian: crvena caplja
Sotho, Southern: Kokolofitoe
Swedish: Purpurhäger
Swahili: Pondagundi
Tswana: Kôkôlôhutwê
Tsonga: Rikolwa
Xhosa: Ucofuza

We have been birdwatching at the Santo André and Sancha lagoons which are close-by and we were just waiting for better weather. Well the weather improved so we went there 3 times. This is the second report of the 26th of March and what we spotted there. We saw a lot more but could not get a positive ID.

Below are some photos we took and here is the list:

Black-necked Grebe
Purple Heron
Shoveler (about 30)
Common Waxbill
Great Crested Grebe
Little Egret
Great White Egret Cattle Egret
Common Coot
Great Cormorant
White Stork
Grey Heron
House Sparrow
Barn Swallow
Sand Martin
Common Stonechat
Little Grebe
Southern Grey Shrike
Azure-winged Magpie
Chaffinch
European Serin
European Goldfinch
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Carrion Crow
Mallard
Turtle Dove
Greenfinch
Blackbird
Wood Pigeon

Purple Heron

 Purple Heron

Alentejo, Portugal