White Bellied Heron

The white-bellied heron (Ardea insignis) also known as the imperial heron or great white-bellied heron, is a large heron species living in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in northeast India and Bhutan to northern Myanmar. It inhabits undisturbed rivers and wetlands. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2007, because the global population is estimated at less than 300 mature individuals and threatened by habitat loss and human disturbance. It is mostly dark grey with a white throat and underparts.

The scientific name Ardea insignis was suggested by Brian Houghton Hodgson in 1844; he had presented a zoological specimen to the British Museum but a description was not published. This name was therefore considered a nomen nudum. In 1878, Allan Octavian Hume described the differences between the white-bellied and the great-billed heron (Ardea sumatrana) while using the binomial name suggested by Hodgson. E. C. Stuart Baker gave the name Ardea imperialis in 1929 to replace Hodgson's nomen nudum. It was used until 1963, when Biswamoy Biswas commented on Sidney Dillon Ripley's synoptic list and noted that Ardea insignis Hume had priority, and its treatment as a synonym of Ardea nobilis Blyth and Ardea sumatrana Raffles was based on misidentification.

When disturbed, the white-bellied heron calls with a deep croak, “ock ock ock ock urrrrrr”. During the breeding season, the white-bellied heron calls during early morning hours, with the highest call density shortly before sunrise; it also frequently calls in late night hours, but rarely during the day.

During the day, it roosts for long periods of up to six hours on bare sandy patches, large rocks, logs and trees, and sometimes lies down on its sternum. In the night, it sleeps with the head pressed on the breast and one leg grasping on the perch, while the other is tucked up in the belly. Adult white-bellied herons roost alone, and juveniles roost in pairs.

It prefers foraging in shallow river sections with multiple about 200 m (660 ft) wide channels, in shallow ponds and pools within river islands, and on island edges. It feeds mostly on Schizothorax carps all year through, but also on brown trout (Salmo trutta) in spring and Garra fish species during the summer. Feeding bouts last for 5 to 58 minutes.

The white-bellied heron (Ardea insignis) is a large heron species that lives in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas. It's also known as the imperial heron or great white-bellied heron.

White-bellied herons are identified by:

· Their large size

· Their grey color with white under parts

· Their grey upper wing and grey under wing contrasting with white linings

· Their large bill

· Their lack of dark “shoulder” patch

Adult birds can grow more than four feet in height. They inhabit undisturbed rivers and wetlands.

White-bellied herons are the most endangered heron species in the world. They've been listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2007. Their total global population is estimated to be only 50-249 adult birds, and numbers are declining even further.

White-bellied herons are found in: Northeast India, Bhutan, Northern Myanmar, Tibet, Bangladesh.

Conservation efforts include:

· Maintaining habitat and minimizing disturbance along the Manas river and around Ada lake, Bhutan

· Initiating conservation awareness programs in areas supporting populations, particularly in Myanmar and north-east India

· Protecting three key sites and minimizing disturbance

· Regular monitoring and reporting