Chinese Pond Heron
Encyclopedia
The Chinese Pond Heron (Ardeola bacchus) is an East Asia
n freshwater bird
of the heron
family
(Ardeidae).
It is one of six species of birds known as "pond herons" (genus Ardeola
). It is parapatric (or nearly so) with the Indian Pond Heron
(A. grayii) to the west and the Javan Pond Heron
(A. speciosa) to the south, and these three are presumed to form a superspecies
. As a group they are variously affiliated with the Squacco Heron
(A. grayii) or the Madagascar Pond Heron (A. idae). As of mid-2011 there are no published molecular analyses of pond heron interrelationships and osteological data is likewise not analyzed for all relevant comparison taxa.
It is found in shallow fresh and salt-water wetland
s and pond
s in China
and adjacent temperate
and subtropical East Asia
. Essentially a lowland bird, its range is delimited by the subarctic
regions in the north, and by the mountain ranges in the west and south.
The species is prone to some vagrancy. One individual in breeding plumage was seen by the river at Bonzon near Gangaw
– just inside the Chin State
of Burma –, west of the species' usual range, on April 8, 1995. A stray bird stopping over on Saint Paul Island, Alaska
on August 4–9, 1997 was the first recorded occurrence of this species
in the USA.
Its food consists of insect
s, fish
, and crustacean
s. The Chinese Pond Heron often nests in mixed-species
heronries. It lays a clutch of 3-6 blue-green eggs
.
It is fairly common and not considered a threatened species
by the IUCN.
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
n freshwater bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
of the heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Ardeidae).
It is one of six species of birds known as "pond herons" (genus Ardeola
Ardeola
Ardeola is a genus of small herons, typically 40–50 cm long with 80–100 cm wingspan. Most breed in the tropical Old World, but the migratory Squacco Heron occurs in southern Europe and the Middle East and winters in Africa....
). It is parapatric (or nearly so) with the Indian Pond Heron
Indian Pond Heron
The Indian Pond Heron or Paddybird is a small heron. It is of Old World origins, breeding in southern Iran and east to India, Burma, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They are widespread and common but can be easily missed when they stalk prey at the edge of small water-bodies or even when they roost...
(A. grayii) to the west and the Javan Pond Heron
Javan Pond Heron
The Javan Pond Heron, Ardeola speciosa is a wading bird of the heron family , found in shallow fresh and salt-water wetlands in Southeast Asia. Its diet comprises insects, fish, and crabs....
(A. speciosa) to the south, and these three are presumed to form a superspecies
Superspecies
A superspecies is a group of at least two more or less distinctive species with approximately parapatric distributions. Not all species complexes, whether cryptices or ring species are superspecies, and vice versa, but many are...
. As a group they are variously affiliated with the Squacco Heron
Squacco Heron
The Squacco Heron, Ardeola ralloides, is a small heron, long, of which the body is , with wingspan. It is of Old World origins, breeding in southern Europe and the Greater Middle East.-Behaviour:...
(A. grayii) or the Madagascar Pond Heron (A. idae). As of mid-2011 there are no published molecular analyses of pond heron interrelationships and osteological data is likewise not analyzed for all relevant comparison taxa.
Description and ecology
The Chinese Pond Heron is typically 47 cm (18.5 in) long with white wings, a yellow bill with a black tip, yellow eyes and legs. Its overall colour is red, blue and white during breeding season, and greyish-brown and flecked with white at other times.It is found in shallow fresh and salt-water wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s and pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
s in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and adjacent temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
and subtropical East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
. Essentially a lowland bird, its range is delimited by the subarctic
Subarctic
The Subarctic is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic and covering much of Alaska, Canada, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and northern Mongolia...
regions in the north, and by the mountain ranges in the west and south.
The species is prone to some vagrancy. One individual in breeding plumage was seen by the river at Bonzon near Gangaw
Gangaw
Gangaw is a town of Gangaw Township in Gangaw District in the Magway Division in Myanmar. Gangaw is also known as the City of Yaw, a certain region in Myanmar including Gangaw, Tilin, Saw and villages around them...
– just inside the Chin State
Chin State
Chin State is a state located in western Burma . The Chin State is bordered by Rakhine State in the south, Bangladesh in south-west, Sagaing Division and Magway Division in the east, Indian state of Manipur in the north and Indian state of Mizoram in the west. The Chin ethnic group make up the...
of Burma –, west of the species' usual range, on April 8, 1995. A stray bird stopping over on Saint Paul Island, Alaska
Saint Paul Island, Alaska
Saint Paul Island is the largest of the Pribilof Islands, a group of five Alaskan volcanic islands located in the Bering Sea between the United States and Russia. The city of St. Paul is the only residential area on the island. The two nearest islands to Saint Paul Island are Otter Island to the...
on August 4–9, 1997 was the first recorded occurrence of this species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in the USA.
Its food consists of insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, and crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s. The Chinese Pond Heron often nests in mixed-species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
heronries. It lays a clutch of 3-6 blue-green eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
.
It is fairly common and not considered a threatened species
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
by the IUCN.