Ardea goliath Cretzschmar, 1829

Common Name and Status

Ardea goliath, commonly known as the goliath heron, is the largest living heron species on Earth; the extinct Bennu heron was larger.

Overall Adult Measurements

Adult goliath herons measure 120–152 cm (3 ft 11 in – 5 ft 0 in) in height, have a wingspan of 185–230 cm (6 ft 1 in – 7 ft 7 in), and weigh 4–5 kg (8.8–11.0 lb).

Specific Body Part Measurements

The tarsus ranges from 21.2 to 25.5 cm (8.3 to 10.0 in), the average wing chord length is around 60.7 cm (23.9 in), the culmen measures 18 to 20 cm (7.1 to 7.9 in), and the total bill length measured from the gape is around 24 cm (9.4 in).

Flight Characteristics

In flight, this heron moves slowly and appears rather ponderous, and unlike some other heron species, it does not hold its legs horizontally when flying.

General Adult Plumage

Males and females have similar plumage: the birds are overall covered in a mix of slate gray and chestnut feathers.

Head and Neck Coloration

The head, its bushy crest, face, and the back and sides of the neck are chestnut.

Foreneck and Upper Breast Coloration

The chin, throat, foreneck, and upper breast are white, marked with black streaks across the foreneck and upper breast.

Lower Breast and Belly Coloration

The lower breast and belly are buff with black streaks.

Back and Wing Coloration

The back and upper wings are slate-grey, with a chestnut shoulder patch at the bend of the wings when the wings are closed.

Under-wing Coloration

The under-wing is pale chestnut.

Bare Part Coloration

The upper mandible is black, the lores and orbital areas are yellow with a greenish tinge, the eyes are yellow, and the legs and feet are black.

Juvenile Plumage

Juveniles have similar patterning to adults, but their plumage is paler overall.

Similar Plumage Species

The only other heron with somewhat similar plumage coloring is the widespread purple heron, which is much smaller than the goliath heron.

Closest Living Relatives

Despite sharing plumage traits with the purple heron, the closest living relatives of the goliath heron are the great-billed heron and the white-bellied heron, which are native to Southern Asia.

Giant Heron Group Name

Because all three species are large in size, this group is sometimes called the "giant herons".

Distant Call Description

Goliath herons produce a distinctive deep bark-like call, most often described as kowoork, that can be heard from distances up to 2 km.

Disturbance Call Description

A sharper, higher-pitched disturbance call called arrk can also occasionally be heard.

Display Associated Calls

The bird gives a huh-huh call during its crouched display stage, and a krooo call can be heard when it extends its neck.

Nest Site Vocalization Report

Organ-like duetting at nest sites has been reported, but this behavior has not been confirmed.

General Aquatic Habit

Goliath herons are highly aquatic even for herons, and they rarely travel far from water.

Flight Habitat Preference

They prefer to fly along waterways rather than crossing over land.

Key Habitat Types

Key habitats for the species include lakes, swamps, mangrove wetlands, reefs that rarely have cool water, and sometimes river deltas.

Water Depth Occupation

They typically occupy shallow water areas, but can also be seen near deep water above dense aquatic vegetation, and they may even live in small watering holes.

Elevation Range

Their range spans elevations from sea level up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft).

Disturbance Avoidance

Goliath herons generally prefer undisturbed, pristine wetlands and usually avoid areas that experience regular human disturbance.