Purple Heron

Ardea purpurea

Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
Presence in the Strait: Seasonal
Abundance: scarce
Protection in Spain: Special protection (List)
In Spanish: Garza imperial

Photograph: Imran Shah, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist

Length: 78–90 cm
Wingspan: 120–140 cm
Weight: 875 g

Presence in the Strait

Scarce summer visitor found in marshy areas. In the past was an abundant breeding species, especially in La Janda, from where the last colony disappeared in 1970 (Celemín Reservoir). It started breeding in the area again in the year 2000 (Guadalcacín II Reservoir). Non-breeding birds sometimes present in summer. One wintering bird on 18.01.97 at the River Guadiaro estuary.

Identification

Darker and slimmer than the Grey Heron. In flight ”neck keel” more angular; longer toes, often spread.

Movements

Peaks in 2nd hf. April and 2nd hf. August.

Ring recoveries

Spain (6), Holland (3), Italy (1) and France (1). Garza Real Garza Imperial Ardeidae juv. ad.E Garza Real ad.E Garza Imperial juv.

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

24 %

Peak in September. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 9 August 1959
Latest record: 18 December 2024

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Spanish Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: NT · Near threatened · breeding — NT · Near threatened · wintering or migrating
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Annex I of the Birds Directive

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Phenology compared

Monthly distribution in proportion, by decade. It shows whether the passage is getting earlier or later.

2000–2009

2010–2026

Proportions, not totals: observation effort grew faster than any population.

Where they come from

11 birds ringed in other countries and recovered in the area.

Spain6
Netherlands3
Italy1
France1

See the journey on the map

Same genus in the Strait

Grey Heron90–98 cm · Resident · overlapping size

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
GBIF taxon key: 2480934

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Imran Shah, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Purple Heron

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Movements

Ring recoveries

Gallery