Goliath Heron

ArrJea (JO{tath

Beak

—

Feet

—

Crest

No crest

Visitor or resident? Mainly NE India. Recalls giant Purple Heron; in all plumages, distinguished from that species by much larger size. thicker head and neck, huge and thickbi ll, and dark legs and feet. Adult has rufous head and neck (lacking the black head stripes of Purple). dark bill and lores (with yellow in Purple), grey upperparts, broken blackish stripes down foreneck, and deep purplish-chestnut underparts and underwing - coverts. Immature is similar to adult, but has dark grey forehead, yellow on bill and lores, che stnut underparts streaked with buff, dark grey flanks, and dark grey mottling on underwing-coverts. Juvenile has black forehead and crown, paler rufous hind neck and indistinct neck stripes (compared with adult), rufous fringes to feathers of mantle and upperwing-coverts, grey underparts streaked with pale chestnut, and dark grey underwing-coverts. Diurnal. solitary and shy. Usually hunts in shallow water. but can wade well out from the shore; sometimes feeds from grass bunds.