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Ardeola idae (Malagasy
pond-heron, Madagascar squacco heron)
Madagaskar-ralreier, Malgassiese ralreier [Afrikaans];
Madagaskar-ralreiger [Dutch]; Crabier blanc [French];
Madagaskar-rallenreiher [German]; Garça-caranguejeira de Madagascar
[Portuguese]
Life
> Eukaryotes >
Opisthokonta
> Metazoa (animals) >
Bilateria >
Deuterostomia > Chordata >
Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) > Gnathostomata (jawed
vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class:
Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned
fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial
vertebrates) > Tetrapoda
(four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota >
Reptilia (reptiles) >
Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria >
Dinosauria
(dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) >
Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves
(birds) > Order: Ciconiiformes
> Family: Ardeidae
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Malagasy pond-heron, Ifotaka, Madagascar. [photo
Adam Riley ©, Rockjumper Tours] |
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Distribution and habitat
Breeds in Madagascar and Aldabra, heading west in the
non-breeding season to Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and Mozambique. It generally favours small grassy
lakes, marshes, ponds, streams and ditches.
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Distribution of Malagasy pond-heron in southern Africa,
based on statistical smoothing of the records from first SA Bird Atlas
Project (©
Animal Demography unit, University of
Cape Town; smoothing by Birgit Erni and Francesca Little). Colours range
from dark blue (most common) through to yellow (least common). |
Movements and migrations
Breeds in the period from October-March, then
heads south to its non-breeding grounds (which include southern
Africa), where it stays from
May-September.
References
-
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts
- Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker
Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.
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