Black headed Heron Ardea melanocephala

photograph by Chenay Clark

They belong to the family Ardeidae, which include herons, egrets and bitterns. There are about 60 species in the world, 19 of which are found in Southern Africa. They are found all over Eurasia, Taiwan, Japan and all over Africa. They are mostly found in and around shallow inland water bodies and tidal estuaries, lagoons and pans, occasionally in open grassland, close to water. They are fairly common but are not seen as commonly as the Black headed Heron. They will mainly be found breeding in this area from August to March. Both sexes do the incubating lasting from 23-28 days. The young fledge at around 50 days. They will take crabs, birds, small reptiles, fish and various insects.