Ardeidae Hybrids

The full hybrid index was compiled mostly using Bird Hybrids, eBird, and Avian Hybrids. Taxa that have been said to exist but that I wasn't able to find photos or information on are listed in the index but have no section dedicated to them yet. Contributions for these taxa especially are extremely helpful, but information on nearly all hybrids is lacking so any information or media is important. If you notice any errors or have something to contribute please leave a comment or send me a message.

Compiling a list of all known hybrids with examples is difficult for several reasons. Obviously I'm not able to obtain permission to embed all media of these hybrids on a single web page/journal post. This means I'm relying on countless other sites to continue to host said media for the foreseeable future. This will inevitably lead to broken links and lost media. Uploading to sites like iNat and eBird can hopefully prevent this.

(Support me on Ko-fi)

Index:

(NOT COMPLETELY UPDATED TO ALLIGN WITH 2023 TAXONOMY UPDATE YET)

Large Bitterns (Botaurus)

Pinnated Bittern (Botaurus pinnatus)
American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
Australasian Bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus)

Zigzag Heron (Zebrilus)

Zigzag Heron (Zebrilus undulatus)

Small Bitterns (Ixobrychus)

Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis)
Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus)
Black-backed Bittern (Ixobrychus dubius)
Schrenck’s Bittern (Ixobrychus eurhythmus)
Cinnamon Bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus)
Dwarf Bittern (Ixobrychus sturmii)
Black Bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis)
Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis)
Stripe-backed Bittern (Ixobrychus involucris)

Neotropical Tiger-Herons (Tigrisoma)

Rufescent Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum)
Fasciated Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma fasciatum)
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum)

Forest Bittern (Zonerodius)

Forest Bittern (Zonerodius heliosylus)

African Tiger-Herons (Tigriornis)

White-crested Bittern (Tigriornis leucolopha)

Great Herons (Ardea)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Great Blue x Great White Heron


Great Blue x Cocoi Heron


Great Blue Heron x Great Egret


Great White Heron (Ardea (herodias) occidentalis)

Great White x Great Blue Heron


Gray Heron (Ardea cinerea)

Gray Heron x Great Egret


Gray x Black-headed Heron

Gray x Humblot’s Heron

Gray x Purple Heron


Gray Heron x Little Egret


Cocoi Heron (Ardea cocoi)

Cocoi x Great Blue Heron


Pacific Heron (Ardea pacifica)
Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala)

Black-headed x Gray Heron

Black-headed Heron x Great Egret

Humblot’s Heron (Ardea humbloti)

Humblot’s x Gray Heron

White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis)
Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana)
Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath)
Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)

Purple x Gray Heron


Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Great Egret x Great Blue Heron


Great Egret x Gray Heron

Great Egret x Black-headed Heron

Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia)

Typical Egrets (Egretta)

White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)
Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

Little Egret x Gray Heron


Little x Snowy Egret


Little Egret x Western Reef-Heron


Little Egret x Chinese Pond-Heron


Little Egret x Black-crowned Night Heron


Western Reef-Heron (Egretta gularis)

Western Reef-Heron x Little Egret


Pacific Reef-Heron (Egretta sacra)
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)

Snowy x Little Egret


Snowy Egret x Little Blue Heron


Snowy Egret x Tricolored Heron


Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)

Little Blue Heron x Snowy Egret


Little Blue x Tricolored Heron


Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)

Tricolored Heron x Snowy Egret


Tricolored x Little Blue Heron


Tricolored Heron x Reddish Egret


Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens)

Reddish Egret x Tricolored Heron


Pied Heron (Egretta picata)
Slaty Egret (Egretta vinaceigula)
Black Heron (Egretta ardesiaca)

Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus)

Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

Western Cattle Egret x Squacco Heron


Western Cattle Egret x Black-crowned Night Heron


Eastern Cattle Egret (Bubulcus coromandus)

Pond-Herons (Ardeola)

Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)

Squacco Heron x Western Cattle Egret


Squacco Heron x Black-crowned Night Heron


Indian Pond-Heron (Ardeola grayii)

Indian x Javan Pond-Heron


Chinese Pond-Heron (Ardeola bacchus)

Chinese Pond-Heron x Little Egret


Javan Pond-Heron (Ardeola speciosa)

Javan x Indian Pond-Heron


Malagasy Pond-Heron (Ardeola idea)
Rufous-bellied Heron (Ardeola rufiventris)

Green-backed Herons (Butorides)

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Green x Striated Heron


Striated Heron (Butorides striata)

Striated x Green Heron

Agami Heron (Agamia)

Agami Heron (Agamia agami)

Whistling Heron (Syrigma)

Whistling Heron (Syrigma sibilatrix)

Capped Heron (Pilherodius)

Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus)

Nycticorax Night Herons (Nycticorax)

Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Black-crowned Night Heron x Western Cattle Egret


Black-crowned Night Heron x Little Egret


Black-crowned Night Heron x Squacco Heron


Black-crowned x Nankeen Night Heron


Black-crowned x Yellow-crowned Night Heron


Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus)

Nankeen x Black-crowned Night Heron

Nyctanassa Night Herons (Nyctanassa)

Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)

Yellow-crowned x Black-crowned Night Heron

Asian and African Night Herons (Gorsachius)

White-backed Night Heron (Gorsachius leuconotus)
White-eared Night Heron (Gorsachius magnificus)
Japanese Night Heron (Gorsachius goisagi)
Malayan Night Heron (Gorsachius melanolophus)

Boat-billed Heron (Cochlearius)

Boat-billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius)


Hybrid Accounts:



Great Blue x Great White Heron (Ardea herodias x (herodias) occidentalis)


Other names: Würdemann's Heron, Wurdemann's Heron
eBird
iNat
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/216209501
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/107086591

Great Blue x Cocoi Heron (Ardea herodias x cocoi)


eBird
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/232682591
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/82932011
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/82931971

Great Blue Heron x Great Egret (Ardea herodias x alba)


eBird
Bird Hybrids
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/32495661
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/33129241
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/33129261
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/401975191
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/419944321
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/419942901

Gray Heron x Great Egret (Ardea cinerea x alba)


eBird
Paper with photos
Photos and info

Gray x Purple Heron (Ardea cinerea x purpurea)


eBird
iNat
Photo and info
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/15096918

Little x Snowy Egret (Egretta garzetta x thula)


eBird
iNat
Bird Hybrids
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/441179451
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/441179841
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/156202341



Little Egret x Western Reef-Heron (Egretta garzetta x gularis)


eBird
iNat
Bird Hybrids
Research Paper
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/372718881
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/59964701
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/43481051
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/313136831

Little Egret x Chinese Pond-Heron (Egretta garzetta x Ardeola bacchus)


Research Paper

Snowy Egret x Little Blue Heron (Egretta thula x caerulea)


eBird
iNat
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/356829751
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/372204341
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/356614041
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/480201001

Snowy Egret x Tricolored Heron (Egretta thula x tricolor)


eBird
iNat
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/60600501
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/66343441
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/489290061
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/489290041
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/415138751
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/352826471
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/352826421
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/266652091
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/266651051

Little Blue x Tricolored Heron (Egretta caerulea x tricolor)


eBird
iNat
Bird Hybrids
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/177627201
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/117313131
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/165673991
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/220773941

Tricolored Heron x Reddish Egret (Egretta tricolor x rufescens)


eBird
iNat
Photos (Note: in these photos it appears that the bird is doing the classic wing-flicking and open-wing foraging behavior that Reddish Egrets do.)

Western Cattle Egret x Squacco Heron (Bubulcus ibis x Ardeola ralloides)


Research Paper

Squacco Heron x Black-crowned Night Heron (Ardeola ralloides x Nycticorax nycticorax)


Photo (http://birding.hu/megfigyeles/adatlap/789881, https://twitter.com/JacanaJones/status/1514529117559037953)

Indian x Javan Pond-Heron (Ardeola grayii x speciosa)


Photo (http://bangkokcitybirding.blogspot.com/2014/02/pond-herons.html?m=1)

Green x Striated Heron (Butorides virescens x striata)


eBird
iNat
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/47876671
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/209152941

Black-crowned x Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax x caledonicus)


eBird
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/187422061
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/187422041

Black-crowned x Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax x Nyctanassa violacea)


eBird
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/340397461
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/340397371
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/78240791

Western Cattle Egret x Black-crowned Night Heron (Bubulcus ibis x Nycticorax nycticorax)


All I can find is this photo (you may need a bird forum account to view it) from this discussion regarding its ID. All other links to images in that thread appear to be unfortunately broken.

Gray x Black-headed Heron (Ardea cinerea x melanocephala)


Photo
Photo
Photo (http://www.zestforbirds.co.za/)

Gray Heron x Little Egret (Ardea cinerea x Egretta garzetta)


Photo (probable) (info here. Note: the first photo may not be identified correctly.)

Little Egret x Black-crowned Night Heron (Egretta garzetta x Nycticorax nycticorax)


iNat
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/174305505
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/174484431

Squacco Heron x Malagasy Pond-Heron (Ardeola ralloides x idae)

https://www.heronconservation.org/media/JHBC/vol08/08_02_Betleja.pdf

Posted on January 24, 2023 01:11 AM by liliumtbn liliumtbn

Comments

No comments yet.

Add a Comment

Sign In or Sign Up to add comments

Gracias al apoyo de:

¿Quiere apoyarnos? Pregúntenos cómo escribiendo a snib.guatemala@gmail.com