Species profile
About the goliath heron
The goliath heron is the world's largest heron — up to 1.5 metres tall with a two-metre wingspan — and it hunts with immense patience, standing without moving for long stretches before a single deliberate stab.
It is slate-grey above with a deep chestnut head and neck, and it takes large fish, often so heavy that the bird must carry them ashore to swallow. It is a bird of quiet, undisturbed water, and the Rufiji, the Great Ruaha and the Lake Tanganyika shore at Mahale are the best Tanzanian places to look.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
A patient solitary ambush hunter. Stands motionless in shallow water, strikes once, and often carries a large catch to the bank to handle it.
Social life
Solitary and territorial, seldom tolerating another goliath heron nearby; pairs nest alone rather than in colonies.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
The largest heron in the world, and a strike rate low enough that it may take only a handful of fish a day — but each a substantial one.
