Fun Chinese Pond Heron Facts For Kids

The Chinese pond heron (Ardeola bacchus) is a shorebird that resides in China and East Asia. These birds inhabit wetlands, swamps, and also grasslands.

During their breeding season, the male birds bear a black mantle with white wings. Their breeding plumage changes into a dark brown coloration during winters. These are sedentary bird species and are spotted motionless on the shore in search of their prey.

They prey on a variety of invertebrates and also small fish, frogs as well as other smaller birds. They are considered to be silent creatures. These herons have long legs with a yellow bill.

Their northern population is migratory in nature, unlike grey herons. Female herons lay about 4-6 bluish-green eggs.

They are considered to be a species of least concern by the IUCN Red List. However, their population is declining due to habitat loss and other destructive human activities. Keep on reading to learn more interesting Chinese pond heron facts.

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Chinese Pond Heron Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Chinese pond heron?

The Chinese pond heron is a shorebird belonging to the Ardeidae family.

What class of animal does a Chinese pond heron belong to?

Chinese pond herons belong to the class Aves, just like the house swift and buff breasted sandpiper.

How many Chinese pond heron Ardeola are there in the world?

These birds are the most common herons that are found in China and their global population is estimated to be around 25,000–1,000,000.

Where does a Chinese pond heron (Ardeola Bacchus)live?

Chinese pond heron resides in China and East Asia. They live in the north of India and are also spotted in Taiwan, Japan, and the Malay Peninsula. These herons are also found in several parts in south Asia.

What is a Chinese pond heron's habitat?

The Chinese pond herons inhabit wetlands, swampy areas, grasslands, and paddy fields. The population of these birds is spotted along the pond and river banks with shallow water areas. Their habitat range includes both saltwater and freshwater.

Who do Chinese pond herons live with?

These bird species are solitary in nature but are also spotted in small groups of 5-6 birds or in pairs during their breeding season.

How long does a Chinese pond heron live?

Although the exact lifespan of the Chinese pond herons is unknown, the life expectancy of the green heron, which belongs to the same Ardeidae family, is more than seven years.

How do they reproduce?

These heron species are double-brooded in nature and lay about four to six blue-green eggs. They usually breed in small colonies, which can comprise other species of the heron as well.

These birds build their nest among tall grasses or in trees at a good height. The nests are generally made up of twigs, grasses, and leaves. The incubation period of the chicks is about 18-22 days.

Both the male and the female incubate the eggs. These herons have a characteristic capability of changing their plumage color during breeding. Their mantle changes into a black coloration with a wine brown breast region.

During the non-breeding period, their plumage changes again with a dark brown mantle and heavily striped breast. Sexual dimorphism is seen in these birds, where females have shorter feathers and lack a gray patch on the breast region.

What is their conservation status?

The Chinese pond heron (Ardeola bacchus) is listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. However, the population of these bird species is gradually declining owing to habitat loss and other destructive human activities. Some birds like the Maynas are known to steal the eggs of these herons.

Chinese Pond Heron Fun Facts

What do Chinese pond herons look like?

These heron species have a remarkable color-changing capability that is spotted during the breeding season. Their breeding plumage is somewhat wine brown with black upper parts. The neck and the head are maroon in color.

The breast region of the adult birds also has a brown coloration with patches of gray. The bill is yellow in color with a black tip. The upper mandibles are pale blue at the base.

Their long legs and feet are pinkish during summers. During their non-breeding months, these birds have a dark brown body coloration with white wings.

The head and the neck are also whitish. The breast region is heavily striped with hues of dark brown. The legs and feet become yellow in winters and the bill remains yellow.

The upper mandibles turn yellow as well. Their eyes are small and yellow in color. Adult females have shorter white wings than males, while juveniles are buff breasted with a brown head.

How cute are they?

These species of herons are extremely cute because of their wine-colored head and body. The hues of white and black impart a charismatic look to these birds, that makes them adorable.

How do they communicate?

These bird species are considered to be silent and not much vocal. Their voice is heard sometimes during their breeding season, which appears to be a flushed tone with a hard croak.

How big is a Chinese pond heron?

The Chinese pond heron bird is about 16.5-20.4 in (42-52 cm) in length and is way bigger than the dwarf bittern which is about 9.8-11.8 in (25-30 cm).

How fast can a Chinese pond heron fly?

These bird species are not fast flyers. They are spotted mostly standing or walking by the shore in their habitat. 

How much does a Chinese pond heron weigh?

These species of heron weigh about 0.6-0.7 lb (280-330 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

The male and female bird species are not given any specific names.

What would you call a baby Chinese pond heron?

A baby Chinese pond heron is called a chick.

What do they eat?

The population of these herons is quite stable because of the large range of diets that is available in their different habitats. They prey on a variety of insects, worms, mollusks, and also smaller amphibians like frogs. Furthermore, these birds are also seen to prey on small birds and fish.

Are they dangerous?

They are generally sedentary birds and do not impose any threat to humans. However, they may attack if provoked.

Would they make a good pet?

As these are shorebirds, they would not make good pets. Further, they are solitary in nature and like spending most of their time alone in search of their prey. Thus, it is not recommended to hold them captive, as these birds will thrive well in the wild.

Did you know...

The Chinese name of these birds is Crabbier chinois and was first recorded in Alaska on Saint Paul Island in the year 1997. These birds are known to be vagrant in nature and therefore, their population range to different parts of Asia.

Along with these birds, China is a host to many other birds, including a few species of falcons.

A group of herons is collectively called a hedge, pose, rookery, or battery of herons.

Different types of Chinese pond heron

The Chinese pond herons are monotypic, however, they are considered to be one of the six pond heron species. It is known to have parapatrically emerged from the superspecies, the Indian Heron and the Javan heron.

The Chinese pond heron's wings

The wings of these birds are white in color with shades of black and brown, which gradually change with the season.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these sea eagle facts and gyrfalcon facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Falcon coloring pages.