EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Pond Herons

Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii), Family Ardeidae
Dudhwa National Park, Uttar Pradesh, India

Explanation:  Along the southern flanks of the Himalayan Mountains in northern India stretches a belt of remnant wetlands and native grasslands call the terai.  Once far more extensive, the terai has been reduced over the many decades by conversion to agriculture, pasture, fields of sugar cane, towns, cities, and other human uses.  

But still viable in these remnant natural areas are local populations of the Indian Pond Heron.  One such remnant is Dudhwa National Park, one of the final strongholds of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros, Bengal Florican, Sarus Crane, and much more ... including Indian Pond Herons.

  
Indian Pond Herons are found distributed throughout most of India and into eastern Pakistan, southern Nepal and Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and western Myanmar.

Also called Paddybirds, Indian Pond Herons are listed as "LC," Least Concern, by IUCN Red List.

Nearly as common as the bird is the array of some 21 common names it sports in nearly as many languages (as listed here).