About Ardeola rufiventris (Sundevall, 1850)
Ardeola rufiventris, originally described by Sundevall in 1850, is a small dark heron species. It has a dark grey head, back, and breast that contrast with a rufous belly, wings, and tail. In flight, its bright yellow legs and feet stand out against the dark feathers of its body underside. Juvenile individuals are paler and browner, and darken as they reach maturity. This species is widespread in eastern, central, and southern sub-Saharan Africa, though it is not found in the arid south-west. Documented countries where it occurs include Angola, Botswana, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its habitats include seasonally flooded grasslands, marshes, flood-plains, inland deltas such as the Okavango Delta, shallow water along riverbanks and lake shores, papyrus stands, reedbeds, and paddies. Its diet is made up primarily of small fish like tilapia and barbus, alongside amphibians, crustaceans, aquatic insects, and other aquatic invertebrates.
