Javan Pond-Heron Ardeola speciosa Scientific name definitions

c. 45 cm; wingspan 81 cm (1 Kennedy, R. S., P. C. Gonzales, E. C. Dickinson, H. C. Miranda, and T. H. Fisher (2000). A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Sexes apparently alike. In breeding plumage  has pale golden-yellow head  , crest and neck  , with two long buff-white crest plumes, elongated slate-black back feathers (extending to tail tip), rufous to cinnamon lower neck and breast plumes may extend to upper belly, usually without black feather tips, and white underparts tinged orange. Back has stronger blackish tone than in <em>A. grayii</em> . Non-breeding adult similar to, potentially inseparable from, some congeners (though may show less dusky on primary tips than A. bacchus) (2 Robson, C. (2000). A Field Guide to the Birds of South-east Asia. New Holland, London, UK. Close ), with olive-brown and buff-streaked head, brown-streaked neck, rest of upperparts pale olive-brown, tail and wings white, breast streaked brown and rest of underparts white; bill yellow with dusky maxilla, lores green-yellow, eyes yellow, and legs pale pale yellow; in breeding season, bill  becomes bright yellow with black tip and blue base  , eyes turn orange, and legs pinkish red (3 Gönner, C. (2000). Birds of Lake Jempang and the middle Mahakam wetlands, East Kalimantan. Kukila 11:13–36. Close ), subsequently dark green. Juvenile  as other juveniles of Ardeola, streaked buff and brown, and very similar to non-breeding adult. Race continentalis separated by longer wings and bill.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Mainly freshwater swamps, ponds, lakes, paddyfields and other flooded areas ; less often in coastal areas, including mangroves and reefs. To 1500 m in Java and 1100 m on Borneo (4 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ).

Mainly resident, with some local movements, e.g. now regular in S Philippines (on Mindanao) between Jan and May, but not definitely known to breed (1 Kennedy, R. S., P. C. Gonzales, E. C. Dickinson, H. C. Miranda, and T. H. Fisher (2000). A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Basically only vagrant to Thai-Malay Peninsula, where since 1979 has been recorded between early Mar and early May (but could have been overlooked at other times), always on W coast (5 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ); records there unassigned to subspecies, but could potentially involved either or even both races. Recently observed in Northern Territory, Australia (Mar 2007)#R and S China (2006 and 2007) (6 Liu, Y., Wei, Q., Dong, L. and Lei, J.-Y. (2013). [On an update of recent new bird records in China]. Chinese J. Zool.. 48(5): 750–758. (In Chinese with English summary.). Close ).

Fish, frogs, tadpoles  and aquatic insects; also grasshoppers, beetles, ants, termites and earthworms. Passive feeder (principal methods Standing and Walking Slowly) (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), remaining motionless for long spells with body crouched and poised, and head retracted; habitually feeds  around dusk; aerial feeding—birds hovering above water before snatching food from surface—observed in Sulawesi (8 Ewbank, D.A. (2007). An undescribed feeding method for Javan Pond Herons Ardeola speciosa. BirdingASIA. 7: 11. Close ). Normally solitary or in small, dispersed flocks, occasionally larger groups (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Poorly documented; gives harsh “krak” when disturbed and squawking sound in flight (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), but also a soft “hoo-hoo”.

Little known. In W Java apparently breeds Jan–Aug, in E Java Dec–May; in Kalimantan (S Borneo), eggs in Apr (4 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ) and active colony Aug–Sept (3 Gönner, C. (2000). Birds of Lake Jempang and the middle Mahakam wetlands, East Kalimantan. Kukila 11:13–36. Close ); season commences Mar in Sumatra (9 Holmes, D.A. and Rusila Noor, Y. (1995). Discovery of waterbirds colonies in north Lampung, Sumatra. Kukila. 7(2): 121–128. Close ). Solitary or in small groups but colony of 1000–2000 pairs (10 Verheugt, W. J. M., H. Skov, and F. Danielsen (1993). Notes on the birds of the tidal lowlands and floodplains of South Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Kukila 6(2):53–84. Close ) and another with c. 9000–60,000 birds (9 Holmes, D.A. and Rusila Noor, Y. (1995). Discovery of waterbirds colonies in north Lampung, Sumatra. Kukila. 7(2): 121–128. Close ) in S Sumatra, often in mixed colonies with other species, e.g. Nycticorax nycticorax, Ardea purpurea, A. alba, A. intermedia, Bubulcus ibis and E. garzetta (9 Holmes, D.A. and Rusila Noor, Y. (1995). Discovery of waterbirds colonies in north Lampung, Sumatra. Kukila. 7(2): 121–128. Close , 7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Nests on leafy branches of trees, often over water, both high and low above ground (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); nest is small stick platform. Clutch typically three eggs (2–5), variously reported as dark or pale greenish blue (3 Gönner, C. (2000). Birds of Lake Jempang and the middle Mahakam wetlands, East Kalimantan. Kukila 11:13–36. Close ), mean size 37·7 mm × 28·7 mm (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). No further information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Global population estimated to be within the range of 6700–67,000 mature individuals, with perhaps 25,000 in mainland SE Asia. Race continentalis apparently frequent, especially in SC Thailand, e.g. 10,000 birds seen flying to roost at Bangpoo, Sept 1985. Said to be fairly common in Cambodia, and also in S Vietnam, e.g. roost of 300 birds at Bac Lieu in Mar 1988. Race speciosa very common at L Bangkau in SE Borneo and up to c. 10,000 birds estimated at middle Mahakam wetlands in Aug (3 Gönner, C. (2000). Birds of Lake Jempang and the middle Mahakam wetlands, East Kalimantan. Kukila 11:13–36. Close ), also common on Bali and Java, with 400–500 pairs breeding in 1970 at Pulau Dua (NW Java), and up to 900 pairs in other years; an estimated 60,676 birds at colony in S Sumatra in 1994 (9 Holmes, D.A. and Rusila Noor, Y. (1995). Discovery of waterbirds colonies in north Lampung, Sumatra. Kukila. 7(2): 121–128. Close ); c. 8500 at L Tempe, S Sulawesi, in Jan 1990. Recently on increase in Philippines, where formerly considered accidental; now regular, e.g. 100 birds at L Buwan in 1982, and only recently discovered to breed in S Sumatra, where also common (10 Verheugt, W. J. M., H. Skov, and F. Danielsen (1993). Notes on the birds of the tidal lowlands and floodplains of South Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Kukila 6(2):53–84. Close ).