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Ardea purpurea
Basic stats
Diet
Fish, frogs, aquatic invertebrates
Habitat
Reedbeds, swamps, quiet river margins
Range
Africa, Europe, Asia (Sabah population resident/migrant)
Clutch size
3–5 eggs
Incubation period
About 24–28 days
Size
Large (78–90cm)
Wingspan
~120–150cm
Weight
0.5–1.3kg
A large, slender heron with rich chestnut-and-purple plumage on the neck and a long, snake-like neck often held in an S-curve while hunting.
Hunts fish and other aquatic prey by standing motionless or stalking slowly through reedbeds, swamps and quiet river margins, generally more secretive than the similarly sized great-billed heron.
