Western Reef Herons are thin-bodied, with a long thin neck and bill, dark legs, and yellow feet. During the breeding season, their yellow feet turn orange or red, they have two long feathers on their nape, and their bills turn all black.
Western Reef Herons have two color morphs – Dark and White. The Dark Morph have grayish-black bodies, and the white have white bodies. They both have yellow eyes and black legs with yellow feet.
- Egretta gularis
- Length: 22 – 26 in (56 – 66 cm)
- Weight: 14.1 oz (400 g)
- Wingspan: 40 – 43 in (102 – 109 cm)
Range
Western Reef Herons are usually in Africa, Asia, and southern Europe but occasionally wander into the United States
Habitat And Diet
You can find Western Reef Heron near coastal water.
The diet of Western Reef Herons is fish, crustaceans, amphibians, mollusks, small reptiles, and birds. They will either stir the shallow water with their feet to bring their prey to the surface and capture them with their large bills or remain motionless and wait for the prey to come to them.
Western Reef Heron Call:
Nests
Nests of Western Reef Herons are made of sticks and branches and shaped like platforms. Females lay three to five eggs, and incubation starts as soon as the first egg is laid. Both parents incubate the eggs until they hatch after twenty-four days.
Fun Fact:
Western Reef Herons were first recorded in the United States in 1983 in Nantucket but have since been spotted many more times.
