Bird of the Week – Green backed heron
The bird's Zulu name is uLuhlaza wasekela and in Afrikaans, die groot gerugte reiger.
By: Bruce Munro
THE green backed heron is found over most of South Africa except the dry south west.
It is also found on the Indian Ocean islands, Australia and in Asia.
The bird is usually silent but when flushed, they have a sharp ‘kyah’. When coming into land they call ‘ka, ka, ka’.
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These herons like densely vegetated rivers, streams, ponds and mangrove swamps. They are solitary, shy and sulking, being partly nocturnal. They run with ease over branches and reeds.
Greenbacked herons stand motionless for long periods, striking at prey from perches or shorelines. Fish, frogs, small reptiles, insects and spiders are their main food source.
Breeding season is from September to February, usually after good rains have fallen. They lay two to three pale bluish-green eggs in a flimsy nest which is a platform made of sticks, twigs and reeds.
Incubation is 21 to 25 days and nestlings remain for 21 days.
The bird’s Zulu name is uLuhlaza wasekela and in Afrikaans, die groot gerugte reiger.
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