A Goliath Heron, Ardea goliath, standing at the edge of Lake Baringo, in east-central Kenya, East Africa.
Goliath Herons are the world’s largest extant herons, standing over 1.5m tall, and are found in most of sub-Saharan Africa except for the south-west., but being more common towards the east of the continent. Some non-breeders have been found outside the core area, particularly around the Red Sea.
They are particularly aquatic, even for Herons, and feed mostly on fish, which they catch by spearing with both mandibles. Their preferred fish are Tilapia, Mullet, Barbel and River Bream. They will also take prawns, reptiles and small mammals where available.
This image is copyright © Liz Leyden, all rights strictly as agreed in writing with the author or her agent.
It is available for sale as various types of wall art, and as home and personal accessories, from my gallery at Pixels.com.
I also have different Goliath Herons available to license as stock photos from iStock.
