Goliath Heron

This large heron is a firm believer in the adage: “Patience is the key to success”

Hans Hillewaert

The goliath heron is the largest extant heron, growing up to 1.5m (5 ft). It is found in sub-Saharan Africa and Southwest and South Asia in smaller populations.

They live in areas close to waterbodies – wetlands, marshes, mangroves, and coastal islands. Hence, their diet consists of fish and other aquatic fauna. They can stand motionless for long periods in water, waiting for prey to come to them. At the opportune moment, they quickly strike with an open bill.

They never seem to be in much rush as their movements are generally slow, and they often lose their meal at the hands of other predators (kleptoparasitism).

Distribution

Country
Population est.
Status
Year
Comments
Angola
2016
Bangladesh
2016
Benin
2016
Botswana
2016
Burkina Faso
2016
Burundi
2016
Cameroon
2016
Central Af. Rep.
2016
Chad
2016
Congo-Brazzaville
2016
Côte D’ivoire
2016
DR Congo (Kinshasa)
2016
Djibouti
2016
Egypt
2016
Eritrea
2016
Eswatini
2016
Ethiopia
2016
Gabon
2016
Gambia
2016
Ghana
2016
Guinea-Bissau
2016
Guinea
2016
India
2016
Iran
2016
Iraq
2016
Jordan
2016
Vagrant
Kenya
2016
Lesotho
2016
Liberia
2016
Vagrant
Malawi
2016
Mali
2016
Mauritania
2016
Mozambique
2016
Myanmar
2016
Namibia
2016
Niger
2016
Nigeria
2016
Oman
2016
Non-Breeding
Pakistan
2016
Qatar
2016
Seasonality Uncertain
Rwanda
2016
Saudi Arabia
2016
Senegal
2016
Sierra Leone
2016
Somalia
2016
South Africa
2016
South Sudan
2016
Sri Lanka
2016
Sudan
2016
Syria
2016
Non-Breeding
Tanzania
2016
Togo
2016
Uganda
2016
Yemen
2016
Zambia
2016
Zimbabwe
2016

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Terrestrial / Aquatic

Altricial / Precocial

Polygamous / Monogamous

Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic

Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal

Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd

Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore

Migratory: Yes / No

Domesticated: Yes / No

Dangerous: Yes / No