Green-backed Heron ( Butorides striata, family: Ardeidae)
The Green-backed Heron (Latin name Butorides striata) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 74 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 596 also a picture of the Green-backed Heron on page 577. The
Green-backed Heron belongs to the family of birds classified as
Ardeidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African
Ornithology the Green-backed Heron is also known by these other names:
Green Heron, Striated Heron, Little Green Heron.
The Robert's 7 Latin name for Green-backed Heron has changed from Butorides striatus in Robert's 6 to Butorides striata
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Green-backed Heron is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Green-backed Heron in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Green-backed Heron : see above distribution map.
The Green-backed Heron.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The Green-backed Heron is a bird about the size of a Francolin now called Spurfowl. The height of the Green-backed Heron is about 41 cms and its weight is about 215 gms
The male and female Green-backed Heron have the same plumage and colours
- Head is black.
- Eye is yellow.
- Bill is black.
- Throat is white.
- Back is black, grey.
- Legs are orange.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Green-backed Heron feeds on the ground mainly
Invertebrates
Aquatic life forms
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Green-backed Heron is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Butorides striata will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Green-backed Heron is to create the nest on water. The bird lays eggs which are blue, green in colour and number between 2 to 6
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Green-backed Heron are: woodlands
You will normally see the Green-backed Heron by itself rather than in the company of birds of the same species.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Groenrugreier
German ... Mangrovereiher
Portuguese ... Gara-de-dorso-verde
French ... Hron stri
Dutch ... Mangrovereiger Striated/Little/Green-Backed
First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list
For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 74
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
