goliath heron

It is the largest heron in the world, standing at 1,50 metre tall. Goliath Heron has slate-grey plumage, with chestnut feathers. Head and crest, face, back and sides of the neck are deep chestnut. Chin and throat are white. Foreneck and upper breast are white streaked black. Feathers at base of the neck are long and blue-grey. Thighs, belly and lower breast are dark buff, slightly streaked with black. Head brings a brushy chestnut crest. Lores and eye ring area are yellowish-green. Long, strong, pointed bill has black upper mandible and horn below. Eyes are yellow. Long legs and feet are black. Both sexes are similar. Juveniles resemble adults, but they are duller.

Goliath Heron lives in varied wetlands, lakes, marshes, mangroves and sometimes river deltas. It needs freshwater, but it is also found in coastal islands, in both salt and fresh waters.

Goliath Heron feeds on fishes, crustaceans, amphibians and snakes

Goliath Heron utters some sounds similar to raucous barks of an old dog. Its calls include croaks, squawks, growls and gurgles. They are mostly silent outside breeding season.
Flight call has been described as a gargling rattle or the bellowing of a calf.

The Goliath heron (Ardea goliath) also known as the giant heron is a very large wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa with smaller numbers in Southwest and South Asia. This is the world's largest living heron (the extinct Bennu heron was larger). The height of the goliath heron is 120&ndash152 cm (3 ft 11 in&ndash5 ft 0 in) the wingspan is 185&ndash230 cm (6 ft 1 in&ndash7 ft 7 in) and the weight is 4&ndash5 kg (8.8&ndash11.0 lb). Among standard measurements the tarsus measures from 21.2 to 25.5 cm (8.3 to 10.0 in) and the wing chord averages around 60.7 cm (23.9 in) in length. The culmen measures from 18 to 20 cm (7.1 to 7.9 in) while the bill from the gape measures around 24 cm (9.4 in). In flight it has a slow and rather ponderous look and unlike some other herons its legs are not held horizontally. Male and female look similar with an overall covering of slate gray and chestnut feathers. The head and its bushy crest face back and sides of the neck are chestnut. The chin throat foreneck and upper breast are white with black streaks across the foreneck and upper breast. The lower breast and belly are buff with black streaks. The back and upper wings are slate-grey with a chestnut shoulder patch at the bend of the wings when they're closed. The under-wing is pale chestnut. The upper mandible is black and the lores and orbital areas are yellow with a greenish tinge. The eyes are yellow while legs and feet are black. Juveniles look similar to the adults but are paler. The only heron with somewhat similarly-colorful plumage characteristics the widespread purple heron is much smaller than the Goliath. Despite the shared plumage characteristics with the purple species the closest extant relatives of the Goliath are considered to be the great-billed and the white-bellied herons of Southern Asia. Due to their large size this species trio is sometimes referred to as the "giant herons". The Goliath heron has a distinct deep bark often described as kowoork audible from a distances of up to 2 km. A disturbance call (arrk) sharper and higher can also occasionally be heard. A huh-huh is given during the crouched stage while a krooo may be heard with the neck extended. Organ-like duetting has been reported at nest sites but has not been confirmed. The Goliath heron is very aquatic even by heron standards rarely venturing far from a water source and preferring to fly along waterways rather than move over land. Important habitats can include lakes swamps mangrove wetlands reefs with few cool water sometimes river deltas. It typically is found in shallows though can be observed near deep water over dense water vegetation. Goliath herons can even be found in small watering holes. They have ranged in elevation from sea level to 2100 m (6900 ft). They tend to prefer pristine wetlands and generally avoid areas where human disturbances are a regular occurrence. Goliath herons are solitary foragers and are highly territorial towards other Goliaths entering their feeding territories. On occasions two may be seen together but these are most likely to be a breeding pair or immatures. A diurnal and often rather inactive feeder this heron often hunts by standing in the shallows intently watching the water at its feet. This is a typical feeding method among large Ardea herons and it can forage in deeper waters than most due to its larger size. It may also perch on heavy floating vegetation in order to prevent water from rippling around them. As prey appears the heron rapidly spears it with open mandibles often spearing both mandibles through the fish's body and then swallows it whole. It is possible that the bill is used in a lure-like fashion occasionally attracting fish to the immobile large object submerged in the water. The handling period is long with herons often placing their struggling prey on floating vegetation while preparing to swallow it. Due to its generally slow movements and handling time the Goliath is frequently vulnerable to kleptoparasitism. In Africa African fish eagles frequently pirate food caught by Goliaths although other large birds such as saddle-billed storks and pelicans may also steal their prey. Prey almost entirely consists of fish. The Goliath heron specializes in relatively large fish with an average prey weight range in Natal of 500&ndash600 g (1.1&ndash1.3 lb) and length of 30 cm (12 in). Exceptionally the largest fish targeted may measure 50 cm (20 in) although the heron may not be able to swallow prey up to this size. Small fish are generally ignored and the average Goliath catches around 2 or 3 fish a day. Breams mullet tilapia and carp have locally been recorded as preferred species. Any other small animals that they come across may be eaten including frogs prawns small mammals lizards snakes insects and even carrion.