Herons

Squacco Heron

Rallenreiher

Ardeola ralloides

Herons7 photosFirst seen: 4 September 2026

The Squacco Heron is a small, short-necked heron that breeds around wetlands in southern Europe, Africa and western Asia. Its brown resting plumage is transformed in flight when the broad white wings become conspicuous.

ID tip: At rest look for buff-brown head and neck, a streaked breast and a pale dagger bill. In flight the almost entirely white wings and tail contrast sharply with the brown back.

First seen: 4 September 2026 · Lake Skadar · 7 photos in the collection.

Places in my records

Locations where this species is supported by a dated first record, an unambiguous single-place outing or a reviewed assignment.

Lake Skadar4 September 2026

Family: Herons (Ardeidae)
Length: 40–49 cm
Wingspan: 82–95 cm
Regional status: Summer visitor (Montenegro)
Conservation: Least Concern LCIUCN Red List · retrieved 5 September 2026
Habitat: Shallow marshes, reed-fringed lakes, flooded vegetation and slow rivers
Diet: Fish, amphibians, insects, crustaceans and other small aquatic animals

Built from verified occurrence records, not drawn by hand. Core range = the countries holding 99% of all records; the rest are scattered or vagrant records. Record counts track where people watch birds as much as where the birds are, so the map shows presence, not abundance. Data: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). Basemap: Natural Earth.

Squacco Heron

Places in my records

Selected photographs