Indian pond heron

Indian pond herons are stocky with short necks, short thick bills and buff-brown backs. In summer, adults have long neck feathers. Their appearance is transformed from dull colours when they take to flight and the white of the wings makes them very prominent. They are very similar to the squacco herons, Ardeola ralloides, but darker backed. To the east of their range, they are replaced by the Chinese pond herons, Ardeola bacchus.

During the breeding season, there are records of individuals with red legs. The numbers do not suggest that this is a normal change for adults during the breeding season and some have suggested the possibility of it being genetic variants.{{cite journal|author=Gopisundar, K. S.|year=2004|title=Abundance and seasonality of Indian Pond Herons Ardeola grayii with red legs in Uttar Pradesh, India|journal=Forktail|volume=20|url=http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/forktail/20pdfs/Sundar-PondHeron.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011063550/http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/forktail/20pdfs/Sundar-PondHeron.pdf|archive-date=2007-10-11}}{{cite journal|author=Abdulali, H.|author-link=Humayun Abdulali|author2=Alexander, H. G.|author2-link=Horace Alexander|name-list-style=amp|year=1952|title=Ardeidae with red legs|journal=Ibis|volume=94|pages=363|doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1952.tb01829.x|issue=2}}{{cite journal|author=Wesley, H. D.|year=1993|title=Genetics of the red tarsi and feet in the Pond Heron|journal=Newsletter for Birdwatchers |volume=33|issue=4|pages=73| url=https://archive.org/stream/NLBW33_4#page/n13/mode/1up }}{{cite journal|title=Distribution and extent of Pond Herons Ardeola grayii with red legs in India|author=Sundar, Gopi KS|journal=Indian Birds|volume=1|issue=5|pages=108–115|year=2005|url=http://indianbirds.in/pdfs/IB1.5.Sundar_PonHeron.pdf}}

Erythristic plumage has been noted.{{cite journal|author=Parasharya, BM|year=1983|title=An erythristic pond heron|journal=Pavo|volume=21|issue=1&2|pages=107–108}} The race phillipsi has been suggested for the populations found in the Maldives, without much acceptance.{{cite book|author1=Rasmussen, PC |author2=JC Anderton|year=2005|title=Birds of South Asia:The Ripley Guide|publisher=Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions}} It forms a superspecies with the closely related Chinese pond heron, Javan pond heron and the Madagascar pond heron.{{Citation needed | date = September 2019 | reason = Conflicting with 'Chinese pond heron' article which doesn't include Madagascar pond heron.}}

They are usually silent but may make a harsh croak in alarm when flushed or near their nests.

This bird was first described by Colonel W. H. Sykes in 1832 and given its scientific name in honour of John Edward Gray. Karyology studies indicate that pond herons have 68 chromosomes (2N).{{cite journal|author1=M. K. Mohanty |author2=S. P. Bhunya |journal=Genetica|title=Karyological studies in four species of ardeid birds (Ardeldae, Ciconiiformes)|volume=81|issue=3|pages=211–214|year=1990|doi=10.1007/BF00360867|s2cid=29647762 }}

File:Indian Pond Heron I IMG 1098.jpg

File:Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii) in Breeding plumage walking cautiously in Kolkata I IMG 7936.jpg

They are very common in India, and are usually solitary foragers but numbers of them may sometimes feed in close proximity during the dry seasons when small wetlands have a high concentration of prey. They are semi-colonial breeders. They may also forage at garbage heaps. During dry seasons, they sometimes take to foraging on well watered lawns or even dry grassland. When foraging, they allow close approach and flush only at close range. They sometimes form communal roosts, often in avenue trees over busy urban areas.{{cite journal|author1=Gadgil, Madhav |author2=Salim Ali|year=1975|title=Communal roosting habits of Indian birds|journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=72|issue=3|pages=716–727|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48287894}}

The Indian pond heron's feeding habitat is marshy wetlands. They usually feed at the edge of ponds but make extensive use of floating vegetation such as water hyacinth to access deeper water. They may also on occasion swim on water or fish from the air and land in deeper waters.{{cite journal|author=Chandra-Bose, DA|year=1969|title= The Paddybird, Ardeola grayii (Sykes) floating on water |journal=Pavo|volume= 7|issue=1&2|pages=74–75}}{{cite journal|author=Neelakantan, KK|year=1986|title= Pond heron afloat|journal=Newsletter for Birdwatchers |volume=26|issue=5–6|pages=11–13| url=https://archive.org/stream/NLBW26#page/n56/mode/1up }}{{cite journal|author=Krishna, MB|year=1978|title= Pond Herons|journal=Newsletter for Birdwatchers |volume=18|issue=10|page=12|url=https://archive.org/details/NLBW18/page/n110}}{{cite journal|author=Muir, G.B.F. |year=1916 |title=Paddy-birds Ardeola grayii fishing|journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=24 |issue=2|pages=366–367|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30151931}} They have also been observed to fly and capture fishes leaping out of water.{{cite journal|author1=Grimwood, I.M .|author2=Brocklehurst, M.J.C. |year=1984 |title=Unusual feeding behaviour in the Paddy Bird or Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii|journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume= 81|issue=3|pages=696–697|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48874662}}

{{cite journal|author=Sivasubramanian, C|year=1988 |title=Aerial feeding by Median Egret (Egretta intermedia), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) and Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii) |journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume= 85|issue=3|pages=611–612|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48805192}} Sometimes, they fly low over water to drive frogs and fishes towards the shore before settling along the shoreline.{{cite journal|author=Kirkpatrick, K. M.|year=1953|title=Feeding habit of the Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii)|journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=51|issue=2|page=507|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48202591}} They have been noted to pick up crumbs of bread and drop them on the water surface to bait fishes.{{cite journal|title=Active bait-fishing in Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii| journal=Indian Birds |volume=10|issue=5|pages=124–125|year=2015|first1=Michel Antoine |last1=Réglade|first2= Mohammed E. |last2=Dilawar |first3= Ulhas |last3=Anand}}

The primary food of these birds includes crustaceans, aquatic insects, fishes, tadpoles and sometimes leeches (Herpobdelloides sp.).{{cite journal|author1=Mathew, DN |author2=Narendran, TC |author3=Zacharias, VJ |year=1978|title= A comparative study of the feeding habits of certain species of Indian birds affecting agriculture|journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume= 75|issue=4|pages=1178–1197|url= https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48297415}} Outside wetlands, these herons feed on insects (including crickets, dragonflies{{cite journal|title=Indian pond-herons Ardeola grayii feeding on dragonflies|author=Santharam, V.|journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society|volume=100|issue=1|year=2003|page=108|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48602682}} and bees{{cite journal|author1=Prasad, JN |author2=Hemanth, J |year=1992|title=Pond Heron Ardeola grayii (Sykes) feeding on bees|journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume= 89|issue=2|page=246|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48732710}}), fish (Barilius noted as important in a study in Chandigarh) and amphibians.{{cite journal|title=Feeding ecology of Indian pond heron and its comparison with that of little egret|author=Sodhi, N.S.|journal=Pavo|volume=24|issue=1&2|pages=97–112|year=1986}}

File:Indian Pond Heron at Nest I IMG 8732.jpg, West Bengal, India]]File:Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii with red legs DSC 6410 2.jpg

The breeding season begins with the onset of the monsoons. They nest in small colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. Most nests are built at a height of about 9 to 10 m in large leafy trees. The nest material is collected by the male while the female builds the nest. Three to five eggs are laid.{{cite journal|author=Pandey, Deep Narayan|year=1991|title= Nesting of the Pond Heron Ardeola grayii (Sykes) on Eucalyptus trees|journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=88|issue=2|page=281|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48673703}} The eggs hatch asynchronously, taking 18 to 24 days to hatch. Both parents feed the young.{{cite journal|author=Yesmin, R.|author2=Rahman, K.|author3=Haque, N.|name-list-style=amp|year=2001|title= The breeding biology of the Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii Sykes) in captivity|journal=Tigerpaper|volume= 28|issue=1|pages=15–18}} Fish are the main diet fed to young.{{cite journal|author=Begum, S.|year=2003|title=Colonial nesting behavior in Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii grayii) of Bangladesh|journal=Zoos' Print Journal|volume=18|issue=6|pages=1113–1116|doi=10.11609/jott.zpj.18.6.1113-6|doi-access=free}} Nest sites that are not disturbed may be reused year after year.{{cite book|pages=63–64|title=Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan|author1=Ali, S. |author2=S. D. Ripley|year=1978|volume=1|edition=2nd| publisher=Oxford University Press|place=New Delhi}}

They have few predators but injured birds may be taken by birds of prey.{{cite journal|author=Navarro, A|year=1962|title=Pale Harrier taking a Pond Heron|journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=59|issue=2|page=653|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/47855356}}

An arbovirus that causes "Balagodu", trematodes{{cite journal|author1=Umadevi K |author2=R. Madhavi |year=2000|title=Observations on the morphology and life-cycle of Procerovum varium (Onji & Nishio, 1916) (Trematoda: Heterophyidae)|journal=Systematic Parasitology|volume=46|issue=3|pages=215–225|doi=10.1023/A:1006398205390|pmid=10845654|s2cid=4497926 }} and several other parasites have been isolated from the species.{{cite journal|vauthors=Pavri K, Sheikh BH, Singh KR, Rajagopalan PK, Casals J |year=1969|title=Balagodu virus, a new arbovirus isolated from Ardeola grayii (Sykes) in Mysore State, South India|journal=Indian J Med Res|volume=57|issue=4|pages=758–64|pmid=4979767}}{{cite journal|vauthors=Pavri KM, Rajagopalan PK, Arnstein P |year=1968|title=Isolation of Ornithosis bedsoniae from paddy birds, Ardeola grayii (Sykes), in Mysore State India|journal=Indian J. Med. Res.|volume=56|issue=11|pages=1592–4|pmid=5715959}}{{cite journal|title=On a new trematode of the genus Psilorchis (Psilostomidae Looss, 1900) from pond heron Ardeola grayii|vauthors=Sahay S, Sahay U, Verma DK |journal=Indian Journal of Parasitology|year=1990|volume=14|issue=2|pages=203–205}}{{cite journal|title=The life history of Echinochasmus bagulai Verma 1935 (Trematoda, Echinostomatidae)|author1=Madhavi, R |author2=Narasimha Rao, N |author3=Rukmini, C |journal=Acta Parasitologica Polonica|volume=34|issue=3|pages=259–265|year=1989}}{{Cite journal|journal=Rivista di Parassitologia|year=1971|volume=32|issue=2|pages=101–3|title= On the male of Avioserpens multipapillosa Singh, 1949 from Ardeola grayii|author=Deshmukh PG|pmid=5166875}} Antibodies to Japanese encephalitis and West Nile virus has been detected in pond herons and cattle egrets from southern India.{{cite journal|journal=Indian J Med Res|volume=118|year=2003|pages=101–108|title=West Nile virus: the Indian scenario|author1=Paramasivan, R.|author2=A.C. Mishra|author3=D.T. Mourya|url=http://icmr.nic.in/ijmr/2003/0901.pdf|pmid=14700342|access-date=2008-09-23|archive-date=2016-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234245/http://icmr.nic.in/ijmr/2003/0901.pdf|url-status=dead}} Traces of heavy metals acquired from feeding in polluted waters may be particularly concentrated in the tail feathers.{{cite journal|journal=Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology|year=2004|volume=73|issue=2|pages=285–291|author=Muralidharan, S.|author2=Jayakumar, R.|author3=Vishnu, G|title=Heavy metals in feathers of six species of birds in the district Nilgiris, India|doi=10.1007/s00128-004-0425-x|pmid=15386041|bibcode=2004BuECT..73..285M |s2cid=26914063}}

File:Indian Pond Herons (Ardeola grayii) feedingin drying sewage pond in Kolkata I IMG 7980.jpg

The habit of standing still and flushing only at the last moment has led to widespread folk beliefs that they are semi-blind and their name in many languages includes such suggestions. In Sri Lanka the bird is called kana koka which translates as "half-blind heron" in the Sinhala language. The Hindustani phrase "bagla bhagat" has been used to describe a "wolf in sheep's clothing" or a hypocrite appearing like a meditating saint{{cite book|title=The modern Hindustani scholar of the Pucca munshi |year=1919|publisher=Baptist Mission Press, Calcutta|author=Pahwa, Munshi Thakardass|url=https://archive.org/stream/modernhindustani00pahwuoft#page/578/mode/1up}} and occurs in a Marathi proverb.{{cite book|author=Manwaring, A.|year=1899| place=Oxford| publisher=Clarendon Press| title= Marathi proverbs|url=https://archive.org/stream/marathiproverbs00manwgoog#page/n56/mode/1up/|page=40}} The paddy-bird also appears as a character in the Hitopadesha where, in one story, it takes injury to itself to save a king.{{cite book|title=The Book of Good Counsels from the Sanskrit of the Hitopadesa| author=Arnold, Edwin| year=1893| publisher=W.H.Allen and Co.|place=London|page=108|url=https://archive.org/stream/bookgoodcounsel00arnogoog#page/n126/mode/2up}} The bird was noted by Anglo-Indian naturalist-writers for the surprising transformation in colours. Phil Robinson described the bird as one that sits all dingy gray and flies all white.{{cite book|pages=111, 235–239|url= https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.62127/2015.62127.Bombay-Ducks-1896#page/n293/mode/2up/|title=Bombay Ducks|author=Dewar, Douglas| year=1896| publisher=John Lane Company| place=London}} It is said to have been eaten by many in India in former times.{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.219743/2015.219743.Bird-Friends#page/n82/mode/1up|page=48| author=Susainathan, P.| publisher=Department of Agriculture|place=Madras| title=Bird friends and foes of the farmer. Bulletin NO. 81| year=1921}}

During the height of the plume trade, feathers were collected from the "paddy bird" and exported to Britain.{{cite book|title=The Commercial Products of India|author=Watt, George|year=1908|publisher=John Murray|place=London|url=https://archive.org/stream/commercialproduc00wattuoft#page/138/mode/2up|page=139}}

{{Reflist|refs =

{{cite journal|title=Vernacular Names of the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent|journal=Buceros|author=Anonymous|year=1998|volume=3|issue=1|url=https://archive.org/details/IndianBirdNames |format=PDF|pages=53–109}}

{{cite book | first1 = Henry | last1 = Yule | first2 = A. C. | last2 = Burnell | year=1903 | title = Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical and Discursive | editor1-first = William | editor1-last = Crooke | publisher = John Murray | location = London, UK | url=https://archive.org/stream/hobsonjobsonglos00yulerich#page/650 | page = 650 }}

}}

{{Commons|Ardeola grayii}}

• {{cite journal | author = Lamba B.S. | year = 1963 | title = Nidification of some Indian birds. No.6. The Indian Pond Heron or Paddy bird Ardeola grayii (Sykes) | journal = Pavo | volume = 1 | issue = 1| pages = 35–43 }}
• {{cite journal | author = de Boer LEM, van Brink JM | year = 1982 | title = Cytotaxonomy of the Ciconiiformes (Aves), with karyotypes of eight species new to cytology | journal = Cytogenet Cell Genet | volume = 34 | issue = 1–2 | pages = 19–34 | doi = 10.1159/000131791 | pmid = 7151490 }}
• {{cite journal | author = Parasharya BM, Bhat HR | year = 1987 | title = Unusual feeding strategies of the Little Egret and Pond Heron | journal = Pavo | volume = 25 | issue = 1–2| pages = 13–16 }}

• [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/indian-pond-heron-ardeola-grayii Internet Bird Collection]

[https://youtube.com/shorts/ERoGeDemBb8?si=IIiWWdzQbYTseh3u]

[https://youtube.com/shorts/aQQRFKcWmj0?si=OU5wTigt75NXAWI-]

• [http://www.xeno-canto.org/explore?query=Ardeola+grayii Calls of Indian Pond Heron]
• {{ARKive}}

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Indian pond heron

Indian pond heron

Category:Birds of South Asia

Category:Birds of Myanmar

Indian pond heron

Category:Birds of Nepal