Black-headed Heron
Ardea melanocephala
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPelecaniformes (Pelicaniformes)
- FamilyArdeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns)
- GenusArdea (Great Herons and Egrets)
- SpeciesArdea melanocephala (Black-headed Heron)
Closest Relatives at Namib-Naukluft National Park
Grey Heron
Ardea cinerea
Purple Heron
Ardea purpurea
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
Striated Heron
Butorides striata
Squacco Heron
Ardeola ralloides
Great White Pelican
Pelecanus onocrotalus
Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellus
Hamerkop
Scopus umbretta
African Spoonbill
Platalea alba
African Sacred Ibis
Threskiornis aethiopicus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Black-headed Heron in Namib-Naukluft National Park?
About 2% of visitor-days record a Black-headed Heron sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park, based on 24 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see Black-headed Heron in Namib-Naukluft National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for Black-headed Heron in Namib-Naukluft National Park in our monthly data.