Black-headed Heron

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Black-headed Heron at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve, Rocherpan Nature Reserve, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve and Table Mountain National Park and other reserves. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

The Black-headed Heron is most recorded in Western Cape (49% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (17% of records), Eastern Cape (13% of records), based on 5,384 iNaturalist observations. 50 places to stay on Spekboom in Western Cape have recorded the Black-headed Heron on site or nearby.

The Black-headed Heron is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Cederberg Wilderness Area: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; Goukamma Nature Reserve: year-round, warm Oct-Apr; Rocherpan Nature Reserve: Winter and spring for birds and flowers, Jun-Oct; De Hoop Nature Reserve: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

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.