The Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) is a large but rather slim looking heron. It is rather more colourful than the Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) which is the 'default' heron for much of Europe. In adult plumage, and with decent views, this difference in colour is easily seen in the field.
As a pleasant surprise, that 'scientific name' of this species and the common name agree, with the full translation (if that is the correct term) of the scientific name meaning 'heron coloured purple'.
All of the sources I have consulted suggest that the Purple Heron is rather shy and likely to prefer dense vegetation to open spaces. Maybe this individual has not read the same books as I have.
From boil tip to tail this species is just under 90cm long, but it rarely weighs more than 1.3kg. I think this long, thin structure is shown well by at least one of these shots.
These pictures were taken in Northern India, although this species can be found through out much of India.
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As ever to join in with WBW, click on the link below. When this post publishes I will be half way through a remote walk in the Northern Territory, so I won't be able to view blogs or comments straight away.
Cheers SM
Beautiful shots of the Purple Heron!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful bird! Thank you Stewart!
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