Indian Pond Heron in Bhuj
The Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii) is a small heron occurring in South Asia from southern Iran to India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The birds are quite common throughout their range, but are often overlooked due to their brownish coat. Only in their breeding plumage, they are a little bit more conspicuous. Generally, they rely on this camouflage very much and can often be approached closely before taking off. The birds prefer marshy wetlands as habitats, but are also commonly seen near human settlements and even on garbage dumps. They feed on a variety of prey, including crustaceans, insects, amphibians, and fish. I have seen these herons almost throughout India and the photographs in this post come from Bhuj in western Gujarat (January 2009), from Alleppey in Kerala (September 2011), and from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan (January 2014). You may click on the photographs to enlarge them…
Indian Pond Heron near Jaipur
Indian Pond Heron near Jaipur
Indian Pond Heron near Jaipur
Indian Pond Heron near Jaipur
Indian Pond Heron in Bhuj
Indian Pond Heron in breeding plumage
… in the canals of Alleppey
Matt Travels 
nice to see these guys again. I last saw them on a beach in Goa.
thank you for your comment! yes, they must be almost everywhere in India…
Loved the birds, it’s to bad they have to contend with all the trash.
yes, you’re right – the heron in Alleppey looked really quite sad within all the dirt…
Wonderful to see your shots of this delightful heron. It reminds me of the shape of our little Green Heron, but closer to the coloring of the larger American Bittern that we have in south Florida. I saw a heron very much like yours when traveling in the Hula Valley in Israel this past spring, but I cannot recall what it is called there.
thank you for your information! I am happy that you like the post… unfortunately I never had the chance to go birding in Florida – it must be wonderful! Some day I will paddle the 99-mile Everglades Wilderness Waterway…