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LC
Black Heron Egretta ardesiaca

IUCN Red List history

Year Category
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern

Species attributes

Migratory status not a migrant Forest dependency Low
Land mass type   Average mass -

Distribution

  Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) 8,500,000 medium
Number of locations -
Fragmentation -

Population & trend

  Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
No. of mature individuals poor Estimated 2009
Population trend Stable -
Number of subpopulations - - -
Largest subpopulation - - -
Generation length (yrs) 6.6 - - -
Trend justification: The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Country/Territory distribution

Country/Territory Occurrence status Extinct Breeding Non-breeding Passage
Angola Native No      
Benin Native No      
Botswana Native No      
Burkina Faso Vagrant No   Yes  
Burundi Native No      
Cameroon Native No      
Cape Verde Vagrant No   Yes  
Côte d'Ivoire Native No      
Chad Native No      
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Native No      
Ethiopia Native No      
Gabon Vagrant No   Yes  
Gambia Native No      
Ghana Native No      
Guinea Native No      
Guinea-Bissau Native No      
Israel Vagrant No   Yes  
Kenya Native No      
Liberia Native No      
Madagascar Native No      
Malawi Native No      
Mali Native No      
Mauritania Native No      
Mozambique Native No      
Namibia Native No      
Niger Native No      
Nigeria Native No      
Oman Vagrant No   Yes  
Rwanda Vagrant No   Yes  
São Tomé e Príncipe Vagrant No   Yes  
Senegal Native No Yes    
Sierra Leone Native No      
Somalia Native No      
South Africa Native No      
South Sudan Native No Yes    
Sudan Native No      
Swaziland Vagrant No   Yes  
Tanzania Native No      
Togo Native No      
Uganda Native No      
Yemen Vagrant No   Yes  
Zambia Native No Yes    
Zimbabwe Native No      

Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria

Country/Territory IBA Name IBA link
Botswana Okavango Delta site factsheet
Cameroon Logone flood-plain site factsheet
Gambia Islands of the Central River Division site factsheet
Guinea-Bissau Arquipélago dos Bijagós site factsheet
Guinea-Bissau Rio Mansôa and Gêba estuary site factsheet
Madagascar Bemamba Wetland Complex site factsheet
Malawi Lake Chilwa and flood-plain site factsheet
Mali Lac Débo - Lac Oualado Débo site factsheet
Senegal Niayes (from Dakar to St Louis) site factsheet
Tanzania Nyumba ya Mungu reservoir site factsheet
Zambia Bangweulu Swamps site factsheet
Zambia Kafue Flats site factsheet

Habitats & altitude

Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Irrigated Land (includes irrigation channels) suitable resident
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Ponds (below 8ha) suitable resident
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Water Storage Areas (over 8ha) suitable resident
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level suitable resident
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded suitable resident
Marine Intertidal Mud Flats and Salt Flats suitable resident
Marine Neritic Estuaries suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Seasonal/Intermittent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes and Flats suitable resident
Altitude 0 - 1500 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact

Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Human intrusions & disturbance Work & other activities Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Majority (50-90%) Slow, Significant Decline Medium Impact:
Stresses
Species disturbance

Utilisation

Purpose Primary form used Life stage used Source Scale Level Timing
Pets Whole Adults and juveniles Wild International Non-trivial Recent

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Egretta ardesiaca. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 25/05/2013. Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 25/05/2013.

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.

Key facts
Current IUCN Red List category Least Concern
Family Ardeidae (Herons and egrets)
Species name author (Wagler, 1827)
Population size mature individuals
Population trend Stable
Distribution size (breeding/resident) 8,500,000 km2
Country endemic? No
Links to further information
- Summary information on this species
- Climate change species distributions