Scientific name:
Ardea purpurea

Natural spread:
Africa

purple-herons belongs the same type of the herons like the gray or heron (Ardea cinerea). The brood-area this by 80 cm big and 0,6-1,34 kg heavy herons agrees largely with the spread-area of the gray-heron. Purple-herons live in Africa and Madagascar as well as in west, means, and Southern Europe and in Asia (from Asia Minor until Turkestan and Pakistan as well as in South-Asia of India to Celebes, on the big Sundainseln and the Philippines and northwards as far as to the Ussuri and into the Manchuria).

Shape its slimmer, daintier shape distinguishes the purple-heron from the gray-heron, the darker color as well as, in the flight, the bigger feet (longer toes) and the more strongly bent neck. Over the blue-gray back-side hangs with adult birds to jewelry-feathers extended, gray-white coat - and maroon shoulder-feathers. The vertex as well as the mop of hair-feathers of the purple-heron, long until 14 cm, are brilliantly black. The body-underside and the black striped neck take off bay. The beak long until 13,5 cm is sallow brown. Both sexes resemble from.

Way of life Purple-herons prefer dense reed-continuances and cover-rich wetlands as habitat, in which inconspicuously it and withdrawn roams. The long toes, that are relatively short runs and the long, swung neck, clear adaptations to the life in densely overgrown terrain. Also at the train and in the hibernation-areas, purple-herons avoid open water-surfaces.

Reproduction With exception of the eastern populations, that more frequently nests also on trees, purple-herons are based its nests directly on the ground. The nests are built in pure reed-continuances from loosely piled up Röhricht, erect smaller nests during purple-herons in swampy terrain, with alders and pasture-undergrowth, on low shrubbery, that consists of branches and smaller branches. Only the male chooses the Nistplatz while both brood-partners here-get the construction-material for 7-12 days together from the near surroundings and process together.

The nest consists of 4-5 blue-green eggs (5,6 × 4,1 cm) and becomes erbrütet for 25-30 (usually 26) days from both alto-birds. However, the share of both parents of the brood-business fluctuates strongly from time to time; occasionally, also only the female alone broods. Both the eggs and young nestlings are protected against excessive sun-no-radiation by an alto-bird continually careful since they would perish very fast (within few minutes) at too much heat otherwise. After good one week tickles the squabs already in proximity of the nest around, umsorgt still become intensively in the first 3 weeks, however. After 7-8 weeks, they then are fully-fledged. Purple-herons like to nest in larger colonies, that other heron-types also often join.

Nutrition Is purple-herons meets - and night-actively, carefully they creep up under skillful exploitation of the amply existing coverage at along small water-places or makes good progress hunt for fish, amphibians and their descendants as well as on reptiles, small-mammals, insects and other Gliedertiere from the decency. As very adaptable birds, purple-herons carry off, according to spread-area (and also season), quite different animals, 10-20 cm long fish usually amount the main-share of the day-ration of approximately 200 g however. Occasionally, these herons scan also meadows and fields after food.

Zugverhalten To the winter, European (from August until October, sometimes until in December in) purple-herons move into the steppe-areas of the tropical and subtropical Africa; In its brood-areas, they arrive again in March / April. The most recovered rings come had an accident purple-herons from shot and in power lines. The eldest ring-bird became 16 years old.