Bourne's heron

Bourne's heron

Cape verde heron, Cape verde purple heron, Santiago heron

SUBSPECIES OF

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Subclass
Infraclass
Superorder
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Ardea purpurea bournei

Bourne's heron (Ardea purpurea bournei ), also known as the Cape Verde heron, Cape Verde purple heron or Santiago heron, or locally in Portuguese as the garça vermelha, is an endangered subspecies of the purple heron that is endemic to the Cape Verde archipelago, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa. It is sometimes considered a full species, Ardea bournei.

Distribution

Geography

The only known breeding location of the heron is on Santiago Island, in the Ribeira Montanha village of Banana, in a nesting colony in a pair of African mahogany trees. The population contains about 40 adult birds, or 20 breeding pairs.

Population

Population number

The purple heron (Ardea purpurea ) has a wide range and is a common bird and its conservation status has been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of "least concern". Bourne's heron is in a much more precarious situation, with all the known adult birds breeding in the same location. There are reports that this population has moved and is now breeding elsewhere on Santiago, at Serra da Malagueta.

References

1. Bourne's heron Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourne's_heron

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