White-bellied Heron

Posted on June 22nd, 2026 Last modified on June 22nd, 2026 Comments

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News: The Forest Advisory Committee has given in-principle approval for a hydropower project in an area of Arunachal Pradesh that serves as a habitat for the White-bellied Heron.

About White-bellied Heron

White-bellied Heron — Source: Birds of the World

Aspects	Description
About	The white-bellied heron is a large heron species. It is the second-largest heron. It is also known as the imperial heron or great white-bellied heron.
Scientific name	Its scientific name is Ardea insignis.
Habitat	It prefers habitats with fast-flowing rivers and forests. It inhabits the wetlands of tropical and subtropical forests in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas of northeast India and Myanmar.
Distribution	Today, it is found only in parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Myanmar, and Bhutan, in regions that are relatively undisturbed by development. In the early 1900s, the bird was found across Nepal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
Appearance	It has a uniform dark grey plumage, a whitish belly and long silvery or whitish plumes on the rear crown and lower fore-neck. It has a relatively long neck, a compact body, short legs, and large, well-developed toes. Its elongated and highly flexible neck, combined with a sharp, serrated bill, enables it to efficiently catch fish even in deep water. The face is greenish-grey and has long bill black, but greenish near the base and tip. The legs and feet are dull grey. Weight: Its mean weight is estimated at 3.2–3.4 kg. In breeding plumage, it has a greyish-white nape plume and elongated grey breast feathers with white centres.
Diet	It feeds primarily on aquatic prey, mainly fish.
Behaviour	It needs clear, shallow, and fast-flowing river streams to fish. It waits for the fish to come, and unlike other herons, they don’t move around too much.
Significance	It is an indicator species of a pristine habitat.
Threats	Habitat loss Increasing disturbance and habitat degradation due to conversion of wetlands for agriculture and expansion of settlements, harvesting of wetland resources and poaching
Conservation status	Wildlife Protection Act,1972: Schedule I IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered

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