Western reef heron images

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The Western reef heron (Egretta gularis) belongs to the family of egrets and herons, the Ardeidae under the order Pelecaniformes.

Western reef heron taxonomy

The Ardeidae is the family of herons. The family Ardeidae was first described by William Elford Leach, MD, FRS (2 February 1791 – 25 August 1836), an English zoologist and marine biologist, in the year 1820.

The family Ardeidae comprises three subfamilies, viz., Tigriornithinae, Botaurinae and Ardeinae. The subfamily Ardeinae contains eleven extant genera, including Egretta.

The genus Egretta (egrets and herons) was first introduced by Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster (9 November 1789 – 2 February 1860), an English astronomer and naturalist, in the year 1817.

The genus Egretta comprises twelve extant heron species, including Egretta gularis. This Egretta gularis heron species is polytypic.

This heron species was first described by Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc (29 January 1759 – 10 July 1828), a French botanist, invertebrate zoologist and entomologist, in the year 1792.

Taxonomic classification
Binomial name:	Egretta gularis
Species:	E. gularis
Genus:	Egretta
Subfamily:	-
Family:	Ardeidae
Order:	Pelecaniformes
Class:	Aves
Phylum:	Chordata
Kingdom:	Animalia

1.Western reef heron - Egretta gularis
Image by Charles J Sharp

2.Western reef heron - Egretta gularis
Image by Francis C. Franklin

3.Western reef heron - Egretta gularis
Image by Dr. Raju Kasambe

4.Western reef heron - Egretta gularis
Image by Shyamal

5.Western reef heron - Egretta gularis
Image by WomEOS

6.Western reef heron - Egretta gularis
Image by Noel Reynolds

7.Western reef heron - Egretta gularis
Image by Frans Vandewalle

8.Western reef heron - Egretta gularis
Image by Frans Vandewalle

9.Western reef heron - Egretta gularis
Image by Shanthanu Bhardwaj

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1.Heron image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Western_reef_egret_(Egretta_gularis_gularis)_dark_morph.jpg (cropped)
Author: Charles J Sharp | License: CC BY-SA 4.0 as on 8/29/18
2.Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Egretta_gularis_oman.jpg (cropped)
Author: Francis C. Franklin | License: CC BY-SA 3.0 as on 8/29/18
3.Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/ (cropped)
Author: Dr. Raju Kasambe | License: CC BY-SA 4.0 as on 8/29/18
4.Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org (cropped)
Author: Shyamal | License: CC BY-SA 3.0 as on 8/29/18
5.Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/15370593@N06/3269593014 (cropped)
Author: WomEOS | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 as on 8/29/18
6.Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29237715@N05/6786523408/in/photostream/ (cropped)
Author: Noel Reynolds | License: CC BY 2.0 as on 8/29/18
7.Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/snarfel/6859215882/in/photostream/ (cropped)
Author: Frans Vandewalle | License: CC BY-NC 2.0 as on 8/29/18
8.Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/snarfel/4414047884/in/photostream/ (cropped)
Author: Frans Vandewalle | License: CC BY-NC 2.0 as on 8/29/18
9.Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tengen/3211156687/in/photostream/ (cropped)
Author: Shanthanu Bhardwaj | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 as on 8/29/18
Current topic in Bird World: Western reef heron - Egretta gularis images.

Western reef heron

Home   ›   Falcated duck   ›   Western reef heron - Egretta gularis.

The western reef heron (Egretta gularis) is a egret belonging to the family Ardeidae. The western reef heron is distributed in Africa, Red Sea region, Persian Gulf, Indian Subcontinent and Sri Lanka.

Taxonomy of Western reef heron

• Scientific Name: Egretta gularis
• Common Name: Western reef heron
• French: Aigrette à gorge blanche; German: Küstenreiher; Spanish: Garceta dimorfa;
• Other names: Ardea gularis Bosc, 1792; Western Reef-egret;
• Family: Ardeidae › Pelecaniformes › Aves › Chordata › Animalia
• Species author: (Bosc, 1792)

The Egretta gularis is closely related to E. thula and E. garzetta. The three recognized subspecies are: E. g. gularis (Bosc, 1792), E. g. schistacea (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1828) and E. g. dimorpha E. J. O. Hartert, 1914.

Indian birds - Western reef heron - Egretta gularis

Description

The western reef heron is a medium sized bird, measuring 55 to 65 cm in length and weighing 300 to 700 grams. The wingspan is 85 to 105 cm. These heron species have two color forms. There is an all-white morph and a dark grey morph. There may be partial coloration as well as intermediate shades of grey. The bill is large and yellow. The breeding heron birds may have reddish tinge on the legs and facial skin. Two long feathers on the sides of the nape are seen in breeding birds.

Habitat

These heron species inhabit estuaries, mudflats, marshes, tidal flats, creeks, lagoons, rocky shores, sandy shores, reefs, mangroves, rocky cliffs and islets.

Feeding habits

The western reef heron species feed on fish, crustaceans and molluscs. They also feed on invertebrates like insects, grubs and earthworms. They stalk the prey by standing still in shallow water. Sometimes they are seen stirring the water with foot to flush out the prey.

Breeding

These heron species construct platform nests on reedbeds, mangrove trees and bushes. They breeding season in India is during monsoon. Both the partners take part in nest building. The usual clutch is three to four eggs. Both the parents incubate the eggs and raise the hatchlings.

Distribution

The subspecies E. g. gularis occurs in coastal Western Africa. The subspecies E. g. schistacea occurs in coastal East Africa, Red Sea region, Persian Gulf region, Indian Subcontinent and Sri Lanka. The subspecies E. g. dimorpha occurs in Madagascar, Seychelles and coastal East Africa.

Movement Patterns

The western reef heron species are sedentary and disperse widely. They are partially migratory. They roost in large numbers on mangrove trees.

Status and conservation

The western reef heron species were hunted for their plumes. Their population appears to have recovered presently. The habitat loss is the main threat to conservation.

The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has categorized and evaluated these western reef heron species and has listed them as of "Least Concern".

Biological classification of Egretta gularis
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Pelecaniformes
Family:	Ardeidae
Subfamily:	-
Genus:	Egretta
Species:	E. gularis
Binomial name:	Egretta gularis
Distribution:	Africa, Persian Gulf, Indian Subcontinent;
Feeding habits:	fish, crustaceans, molluscs;
IUCN status listing:	Least Concern

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Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_reef_heron.jpg
Author: Shyamal | License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Current topic in Birds of India: Western reef heron - Egretta gularis.