Purple Heron
Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus, 1766)
UR
PURHE
1240
Family: Pelecaniformes > Ardeidae
With its warm buff head and neck, black cap, grey back and deep chestnut shoulder patch, the adult Purple Heron is a smart bird, but one that favours the dense vegetation, such as reedbeds, of shallow waterbodies.
Purple Heron is considered an occasional breeder, and one for which proving breeding can be difficult. Its European breeding population has been expanding since at least the 1940s, with colonisation of France and the Netherlands signposting this species as a potential colonist to Britain & Ireland.
Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the Purple Heron
BTO RECORDS
Identification
Purple Heron identification is often straightforward.
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Population size and trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO surveys and atlases with data collected by BTO volunteers.
CONSERVATION STATUS
This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.
| Species of European Conservation Concern | Least Concern |
| IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global) |
Least Concern 
|
| Schedule 1 license required (to disturb) | Yes |
| Birds Directive Annex 1 | Yes |
|
Listed on the Annexes of
|
WCA(I), WBD(I), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA |
POPULATION SIZE
| BOU Category | A |
|
First Record
|
Middlesex, 1722 |
DISTRIBUTION
Purple Herons are regularly recorded in Britain in the spring, typically arriving during periods of warm southerly winds between April and May and occasionally staying into the summer. During 2008–11
-
Britain and Ireland Breeding Distribution 2008-2011.
More from the Atlas Mapstore. -
Britain and Ireland Winter Distribution 2008-2011.
More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Occupied 10-km squares in UK
| No. occupied in breeding season | 1 |
| % occupied in breeding season | 0.03 |
| No. occupied in winter | 2 |
| % occupied in winter | 0.07 |
European Distribution Map
DISTRIBUTION CHANGE
More from the Atlas Mapstore.
SEASONALITY
Purple Herons are very scarce and usually only encountered in spring and summer.
Movement
Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.
RINGING RECOVERIES
View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.
Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland
Biology
Lifecycle and body size information about Purple Heron, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.
PRODUCTIVITY & NESTING
|
Number of Broods
|
1 |
|
Egg Size
|
56×41 mm Weight = 51 g (of which 7% is shell) |
SURVIVAL & LONGEVITY
View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report
|
Typical Lifespan
|
4 years with breeding typically at 1 year |
|
Adult Survival
|
0.74
|
|
Juvenile Survival
|
0.41
|
BIOMETRICS
Sample sizes are too small to report Biometrics for this species.
Feather measurements and photos on featherbase
CODES & CLASSIFICATION
|
Field Codes
|
2-letter: UR | 5-letter code: PURHE | Euring: 1240 |
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Links to more information from ConservationEvidence.com
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