1. The Purple Heron is a large bird, 80-90 cm tall, with a 120-150 cm wingspan, but slender for its size, weighing only 0.5-1.3 kg. Scientific name of this bird: Ardea purpurea. It comes from the Latin: ardia means heron, and purpureus is purple.
2. It has a neck that looks very similar to a snake, and its plumage color is perfect for camouflage in the reeds. It feeds on fish, insects, amphibians, reptiles and even small birds, in wetlands or shallow waters.
3. It is a shy and solitary hunter, choosing time to hunt in the night until early morning. Hunting by using its sharp and long beak, and waiting for its prey with no motion or stalking them with slow motion.
4. The Spanish name for the purple heron is garza imperial, which translates as the ‘imperial heron’.
5. The Purple heron is a likely basis for the Egyptian Phoenix (mythology), phoenix or bennu, which means purple heron.
Purple heron
All original photos were taken at a zoo in Aceh, Sumatra.