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Where to see

Where to see the Black-headed Heron in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the Black-headed Heron at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park and Cederberg Wilderness Area.

Ardea melanocephala

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Black-headed Heron
Photo: (c) Karen Eichholz, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Black-headed Heron

Hosts have recorded the Black-headed Heron at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park and Cederberg Wilderness Area.

Best hours of the day

  • The first hours after sunrise, and late afternoon. Birds call and feed most in the cool.
  • Midday. Quieter, especially in summer heat.

Where to base yourself

  • Western Cape

    Western Cape

    Cederberg Wilderness Area · Goukamma · Rocherpan

    Self-driveMalaria-free
    Stays in Western Cape
    Western Cape
  • KwaZulu-Natal

    KwaZulu-Natal

    uKhahlamba-Drakensberg · iSimangaliso Wetland

    Stays in KwaZulu-Natal
    KwaZulu-Natal
  • Limpopo

    Limpopo

    Kruger

    Self-drive
    Stays in Limpopo
    Limpopo
  • Eastern Cape

    Eastern Cape

    Kwandwe · Addo Elephant

    Self-driveGuided drivesMalaria-free
    Stays in Eastern Cape
    Eastern Cape

Ways to look

Drive yourself

Your own vehicle and pace, on the park's roads.

Where hosts record it

KrugerCederberg Wilderness AreaGoukammaRocherpanDe Hoop

Guided drives from a lodge

A guide who knows where to look, with off-road and night drives in the private reserves.

Where hosts record it

Kwandwe

Species

Ardea melanocephala

Records

5,384

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

A record means a host has seen the Black-headed Heron on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.

Which parks and reserves are best for the Black-headed Heron in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Black-headed Heron at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve and Rocherpan Nature Reserve 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.

Where can you see the Black-headed Heron in South Africa?

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. 89 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Black-headed Heron on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the Black-headed Heron?

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. Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep; Cederberg Wilderness Area: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; Goukamma Nature Reserve: year-round, warm Oct-Apr. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

What is the Black-headed Heron?

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.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Black-headed Heron

Every stay on the Black-headed Heron page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.

See where to stay