Description:

Stocky with rather short stout bill, yellow lower mandible and lores and chestnut feathers on foreparts. Whitish wings contrast with dark saddle. Adult breeding has yellowish-buff head and neck and maroon-brown mantle/ scapulars. Head, neck and breast streaked/spotted in non-breeding plumage.

Distribution:

Rare summer visitor to the western parts of Ghizer district along Gilgit River. Occurs around freshwater or brackish marshes, lakes, pools and rivers with surrounding cultivation, reed-beds or vegetation. Found up to 2000m.

Behavior:

Normally feeds by Standing or Slowly Walking, varying methods according to habitat; aerial feeding including hovering, diving and jumping. Solitary or in small, loose flocks. Feeds both day and night. Feeds on small fish, frogs, tadpoles, crabs, other crustaceans, earthworms, aquatic insects, grasshoppers, crickets, ants and bees.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Indian Pond-Heron in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Indian Pond-Heron

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.