Chinese Pond Heron eats a skink

Posted by BESG on 1 April 09, Wednesday
Contributed by Subaraj Rajathurai

“This is a short note to add to our knowledge of prey items for this species..

“On March 10th, while birding at Serangoon (Lorong Halus), Sham and I, along with two birders from India, the Laxmans, watched a Chinese Pond Heron (Ardeola bacchus) foraging on a grass verge.

“Suddenly, it moved deliberately to a spot in the grass and made a stab at something. It was a Garden Supple Skink (Lygosoma bowringii). The skink could be seen wriggling in its bill and in a few seconds, the pond heron had totally swallowed it.”

Wells (1999) mentions that “…much prey must be terrestrial, but diet hardly known.”

Reference:
Wells, D.R., 1999. The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsular. Vol. I, Non-passerines. Academic Press, London. 648 pp.

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Categories: Feeding-vertebrates, Heron-Egret-Bittern

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