Scientific name: Ardea melanocephala
In southern Africa it is common in Zimbabwe and South Africa while more scarce in Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique. It generally favours open grassy habitats, sometimes moving into marshes and floodplains in southern Mozambique.
The black-headed heron is a large bird, standing 85 cm tall, and it has a 150 cm wingspan. It is nearly as large as the grey heron, which it resembles in appearance, although it is generally darker. Its plumage is largely grey above, and paler grey below. It has a powerful dusky bill.
It mainly eats terrestrial insects, supplemented with small mammals, reptiles and birds, doing most of its foraging solitarily. It hunts by slowly and purposefully moving through the grass, rocking its head from side to side; when it spots prey, it freezes and then strikes with its bill.
