Ardea is a genus of herons. These herons are generally large in size, typically 80–100 cm or more in length.
The great egret (Ardea alba, left) resembles the other Ardea in habitus, and the little egret (Egretta garzetta, right) only in color.
Image: Ardea cinerea Pak Thale
Image: Great blue heron in GWC (21718)
The purple heron is a wide-ranging heron species. It breeds in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Palearctic. The Western Palearctic populations migrate between breeding and wintering habitats whereas the African and tropical-Asian populations are primarily sedentary, except for occasional dispersive movements.
A Purple Heron at Powai Lake.
Adult A. p. purpurea with chicks at Lake Baringo, Kenya
Immature A. p. manilensis, Maharashtra, India