Black-headed Heron

Open encyclopedia reference

The black-headed heron (Ardea melanocephala) is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, common throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. It is mainly resident, but some west African birds move further north in the rainy season. This species usually breeds in the wet season in colonies in trees, reedbeds or cliffs. It builds a bulky stick nest and lays 2–4 eggs. It often feeds in shallow water, spearing fish or frogs with its long, sharp bill. It also hunts well away from water, taking large insects, small mammals, and birds. It waits motionless for its prey, or slowly stalk its victim. The black-headed heron is a large bird, standing 85 cm tall, and it has a 150 cm wingspan. It is nearly as large as the grey heron, which it resembles in appearance, although it is generally darker. Its plumage is largely grey above, and paler grey below. It has a powerful dusky bill. The flight is slow, with the neck retracted.

Wikipedia contributors, Black-headed heron; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:02:19.867731+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Ardea melanocephala Children & Vigors, 1826

Name authority

Children & Vigors, 1826

Common name

Black-headed Heron

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Pelecaniformes

Family

Ardeidae

Genus

Ardea

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classAves
9. orderPelecaniformes
10. familyArdeidae Leach, 1820
11. genusArdea Linnaeus, 1758
12. speciesArdea melanocephala Children & Vigors, 1826

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Ardea. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 37 records assigned to Ardeidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. Children, John George, and Nicholas A. Vigors / Denham, Dixon, H. Clappterton, and W. Oudney (eds.). (1826). Zoology. Narrative of Travels and Discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, in the Years 1822, 1823, and 1824. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:GCJ3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.