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Types of herons

1. Grey Heron (Ardea cinera)
The Grey Heron is one of the largest birds in Singapore, standing at 1m tall with a wingspan of 2m. They eat whatever they can catch: fish, amphibians, arthropods, crustacean, and even small mammals, reptiles, small birds.
2. Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)
The Purple Heron is the most colourful large heron in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, with a distinctive snake-like neck which is usually held in a prominent kink. Its colourful plumage actually provides excellent camouflage among the reeds. Purple Herons feed mainly on fish, but will also eat insects, amphibians, and occasionally shellfish, small mammals, reptiles and even small birds.


3. Striated Heron (formerly known as Little Heron) (Butorides striatus)
Little Herons are often encountered at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, hunched into a compact egg-shape on a branch over the water, motionless but intently looking out for prey. Clothed in their camouflaging plumage, the less observant visitor often overlooks them. Little Herons eat mainly small fish and crustacean. They also take amphibians and insects and any other edible tidbits, including small mammals.

4. Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Black-crowned Night Herons are small stocky, short-legged compared to other herons. They are handsomely attired in a tri-colour plumage of black, grey and white, with two long plumes on the nape.Night Herons are unpopular with other herons, which attack the Night Herons on sight. This is because Night Herons are very aggressive and steal eggs and young of other heron colonies. Perhaps it is the harassment from other birds that force Night Herons to come out mainly at night.Besides fish, Black Crowned Night Herons eat a wide range of prey from aquatic invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles to land invertebrates including small mammals. They also eat plants and are not above eating carrion and rooting around garbage dumps.