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PLATE 14: HERONS I
Striated Heron Butorides striata RB
L: 43. W: 60. Primarily coastal; small, rather dark heron. Adult identified by black crown with
elongated nape plumes, bluish-grey upperparts, buff-fringed coverts and greyish neck and
underparts; yellow patch on lores and dark moustachial streak give marked facial pattern. Rosy,
pinkish or yellowish legs extend just beyond tail in flight. Race brevipes may look all dark. Immature
brownish with white spots on tips of wing-coverts, brown-and-white streaked upper breast and
yellowish-green legs. May recall young Black-crowned Night Heron, but smaller with dark crown
and lacks white spots on mantle. In flight (low with fast wingbeats), all ages show dark upperwings.
Solitary, often skulking, adopting crouching position if disturbed; most active at dusk. Voice
Alarm call chook-chook-chook; when flushed a croaking kweuw. Habitat Rocky or sandy coasts,
mangroves, sometimes on inland wetlands. Note Range expanding in The Gulf. Subspecies in Oman
not determined, but likely to include brevipes and atricapilla.Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides WV, PM, sv, mb
L: 45. W: 85. Small heron, which usually remains in or near lush cover. Adult in breeding plumage
is golden-buff with purple sheen on mantle and long, black-and-white streaked nape plumes; bill
has a greenish-blue base in summer; nape plumes lost in winter, when neck becomes streaked and
bill has yellowish base. Juvenile brownish-buff with streaked neck and upper breast, making it
well camouflaged. At all ages, white wings revealed in flight, making the bird look predominantly
white. Closely resembles Indian Pond Heron (which see); care needed to separate in areas where
both occur. Voice In flight, a harsh kar. Habitat Wetlands, ditches, lakesides, rivers with vegetation;
nests colonially in trees, reeds. Note Has bred S Oman; passage hatched.Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii WV
L: 45. W: 85. Very similar to Squacco Heron; often feeds in open. Readily separable in breeding
plumage by dark maroon back, unstreaked yellowish-buff to buff-brown crown and hindneck,
white nape plumes (crown and hindneck streaked blackish, white nape plumes black-edged in
Squacco), and pale buff breast (pale ochre in Squacco). In winter, loses head plumes and others
are reduced in length; head, neck and upper breast become streaked brownish. Winter adult and
juvenile told from Squacco by darker, vinous-brown mantle and lack of buff tones; dark loral
line is an additional feature (though sometimes absent), the bare skin above it being rectangular
in shape (but triangular in Squacco, which lacks dark loral line). Juvenile similar to winter adult
but primaries dark-tipped. Legs greenish/yellowish (red in some breeding birds). Voice Similar
to Squacco. Habitat Fresh and saltwater marshes especially with dense vegetation; mangrove
mudflats, rivers, ponds. Note Some present throughout year in hatched area; vagrant Kuwait.Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus V
L: 45. W: 85. Adult in summer has chestnut head and breast. Dark grey back usually covers the wings.
White wings and tail conspicuous in flight like other pond herons. Immature Bittern-like on head and
breast, brown back. Voice Call a deep qwa. Habitat Wetlands and streams. Note Vagrant Oman.Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis WV, PM
L: 50. W: 85. Small, white, grassland-dwelling heron. Separated from Little Egret by stockier build,
shorter yellow bill, shorter neck and legs, extended ‘jowl’ under bill and faster flight. Also in
breeding season, orange-buff wash on crown, back and breast, and reddish bill. Usually seen
feeding in small groups, associating with grazing animals, or flying in flocks to and from roost sites.
Voice A short ark and duck-like og-ag-ag, often in flight. Habitat Fields, wasteland, marshes; nests
colonially in reedbeds, bushes or trees. Note Passage and winter hatched.Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus V
L: 50. W: 85. Very similar to Western Cattle Egret, but has longer bill and tarsi. In summer plumage
buff on head reaches cheeks and throat. In winter plumage similar to Western Cattle Egret and
doubtless overlooked. Habitat Fields, wasteland, marshes. Note Vagrant Oman, UAE.