Birds · Pelecaniformes · Ardeidae

Purple Heron

Ardea purpurea

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

A very slender, streamlined heron, smaller and darker than the grey heron. Dark blue-grey back, a thin, sinuous neck of reddish orange crossed by a blackish stripe, chestnut-red breast and flanks and a black belly. In flight it carries its neck drawn back in an S.

Weight

1.3 kg on average

Size

78 cm – 97 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Estimated population

The world population is estimated at between 270,000 and 570,000 individuals. In Spain, the 2011 national survey put it at 5,379 breeding pairs, 70% in Andalusia and another 13% in Catalonia

FreshwaterCarnivore Nocturnal Colonial Bird Freshwater

47countries 8parks11same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt nests on bent-over reeds and hides by stretching its neck straight up.
Faced with a threat it adopts what is known as the 'bittern stance': it stretches its neck to the full with its bill pointing skywards and freezes, becoming almost invisible among the reeds. The chicks already do it.
The parents carry food in their crop and regurgitate it when the chicks prompt them by grasping their bill.
In 2011 more than half of its Spanish colonies were mixed with other herons.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Extensive reedbeds, marshes and rice paddies
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 25-30 days, with both members of the pair taking turns
Litter / clutch size: 4-5 pale blue-green eggs, sometimes up to 8 (though large clutches are usually from two females in the same nest), laid at three-day intervals. A single clutch a year

Sources consulted: SEO/BirdLife (ficha y III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España); IUCN Red List; Asturnatura; Garrido López 2022, III Atlas; Garrido, Molina y Del Moral 2012, Las garzas en España (SEO/BirdLife); Acuerdo AEWA; Región de Murcia Digital