White-backed Night Heron
Calherodius leuconotus
Dark, chunky, handsome heron. There are white spectacles around the eyes and a white patch on the back; the latter is hard to see except in flight. Scarce and retiring species that is rarely seen without expressly searching for it. Found along rivers and streams. Strictly nocturnal; roosts during the day in thick waterside vegetation. Call is a rough “krak,” higher-pitched than the call of Black-crowned Night-Heron. Immature similar to immature Black-crowned Night-Heron but shows a white ring around the eye and a black cap.
Identification
The white-backed night heron is 50–55 cm (20–22 in) in length with a black head and a short crest, or prominent feather display on the top of its head. The heron has large red eyes with white-ringed markings around them, and the lores, or the region behind the eye, are a pale yellow hue. The throat feathers are white, whereas the neck and breast are rufous, or a reddish-brown hue. There is a notable white triangular patch along the back formed by the white scapulars, or small feathers, on the shoulder of the bird. The belly feathers are a whitish-brown and the legs are yellow. An immature heron can be identified by its streaked breast and the white spots on the upper-wing coverts. Chicks are covered with olive-brown down.
Taxonomy
The German naturalist Johann Wagler described the white-backed night heron as Ardea leuconotus in 1827. Today the IOC World Bird List, BirdLife International and the Handbook of the Birds of the World place it in its own monotypic genus Calherodius. Its name derives from a patch of white feathers that form a triangle on its back.
- Scientific name
- Calherodius leuconotus
- Authority
- (Wagler, 1827)
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Ardeidae
- Genus
- Calherodius
Range and habitat
The white-backed night heron is located throughout central and southern Africa, with a range estimated at 20,900,000 km2 (8,100,000 sq mi). Its primary habitat is dense forests with neighboring waterways, particularly streams, lakes, mangroves and marshes.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
The white-backed night heron can be found living individually or in pairs. Nocturnal by nature, they roost in the dense vegetation of marshes and forests during the daylight hours, often nesting high within the trees. Their nests are well-hidden, usually built in vegetation near water and sometimes in reedbeds, mangroves, rocks and caves. The nest is built resembling a platform of sticks or reeds, 25–30 cm (9.8–11.8 in) wide. They usually breed during the rainy season or early in the dry season. There are two to three greenish-white eggs in a clutch, and incubation lasts roughly 24 to 26 days. The chicks leave the nest after six to seven weeks. The white-backed night heron seems to be sedentary, but it has been observed in some circumstances to have migrated to locations with heavy rain. White-backed night herons are known foragers, meaning they search for food primarily along waterways. They have been observed to eat fish, amphibians, mollusks and insects. Though usually quiet, they let out a loud kroak call when alarmed and a taash call when disturbed.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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