White-bellied Heron at Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh, India
White-bellied Herons are found in the eastern Himalayan regions plus at Namdapha National Park - Imperious or arrogant by nature with a long neck, these Herons are stone-gray in clour with a pale throat patch, a black bill and a distinct white belly. They show a strong black-and-white contrast on the underwing - visible when in flight.
White-bellied Heron is a solitary species and you can spot them alone or may be in pairs very rarely in groups of 4-5. It feeds by standing in fast flowing rivers in the summer and slow moving watercourses or streams and grassy marshes in winters.
Feeding primarily at dusk - they eat fish - (also known to eat large crayfish) - additional research is required to understand their diet as not much in known currently.
White-bellied Heron are rare and unfortunately their numbers are declining due to habitat degradation thus are marked as an endangered species.
