CreatureData

Black-headed heron

Ardea melanocephala Children & Vigors, 1826

LCLeast Concernbirds

The black-headed heron (Ardea melanocephala) is a species in the family Ardeidae, order Pelecaniformes. Recorded adults weigh 996.6 g to 1.11 kg. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Black-headed heron (Ardea melanocephala)
Photo: Yathin S Krishnappa · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the black-headed heron

Weight
996.6 g – 1.11 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
wetlandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
25 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
3 – 3.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the black-headed heron

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

1 more photo exists under a licence we cannot display: view at source.

Where does the black-headed heron live?

Not recorded

What is the black-headed heron?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes, and spoonbills, which extend their necks. The white underwing coverts are striking in flight.

The call is a loud croaking.

From the Wikipedia article “Black-headed heron” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black-headed_heron&oldid=1357351003), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the black-headed heron endangered?

The black-headed heron is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the black-headed heron classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPelecaniformes
  5. familyArdeidae
  6. genusArdea
  7. SpeciesArdea melanocephala Children & Vigors, 1826

Synonyms Afrardea melanocephala, Ardea atricollis

Other names and names in other languages (44)
  • BHHEEnglish
  • Blackheaded heronEnglish
  • SwartkopreierAfrikaans
  • بلشون أرأسArabic
  • بلشون أسود الرأسArabic
  • Черноглава чаплаBulgarian
  • Kerc'heiz penn duBreton
  • bernat capnegreCatalan
  • volavka africkáCzech
  • Sorthovedet HejreDanish
  • SchwarzhalsreiherGerman
  • ނޫ މާކަނާDivehi
  • nigrakapa ardeoEsperanto
  • Garza cabecinegraSpanish
  • garza de cabeza negraSpanish
  • savannihaigurEstonian
  • kobolttihaikaraFinnish
  • Héron mélanocéphaleFrench
  • Corr cheanndubhIrish
  • Coar chione-dooManx
  • אנפה שחורת-ראשHebrew
  • feketenyakú gémHungarian
  • HettuhegriIcelandic
  • Airone testaneraItalian
  • ズグロアオサギJapanese
  • juodagalvis garnysLithuanian
  • melnkakla gārnisLatvian
  • VanoMalagasy
  • zwartkopreigerDutch
  • svarthodehegreNorwegian
  • czapla czarnogłowaPolish
  • garça-de-cabeça-pretaPortuguese
  • Черношейная цапляRussian
  • Черноголовая цапляRussian
  • ČáhppesoaiháigirNorthern Sami
  • volavka čiernohlaváSlovak
  • črnoglava čapljaSlovenian
  • Crnoglava čapljaSerbian
  • svarthuvad hägerSwedish
  • Kara Boyunlu BalıkçılTurkish
  • KokolofuteTswana
  • чапля чорноголоваUkrainian
  • 黑头鹭Chinese
  • 黑頭鷺Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the black-headed heron

Other species in the same genus Ardea.

CompareBlack-headed heron vs Grey heronBlack-headed heron vs Great egretBlack-headed heron vs Western cattle egretBlack-headed heron vs Purple heron

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the black-headed heron?

An adult black-headed heron weighs 996.6 g – 1.11 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the black-headed heron endangered?

The black-headed heron is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the black-headed heron?

The black-headed heron (Ardea melanocephala) belongs to the family Ardeidae in the order Pelecaniformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Black-headed heron (Ardea melanocephala). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-heron

MLA

“Black-headed heron (Ardea melanocephala).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-heron.

BibTeX
@misc{black_headed_heron_2026,
  title = {Black-headed heron (Ardea melanocephala)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-heron},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}