Watch Critically Endangered White-Bellied Heron Spotted Perching in India's Kamlang Tiger Reserve

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, herons (Ardea insignis) are found in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in Bhutan, northeastern India to the hills of Bangladesh, north, west and central Myanmar.

A critically endangered white-bellied heron has been spotted in the Kamlang Tiger Reserve in the Lohit district of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

A video shared by the official Twitter account of Kamlang Tiger Reserve on 12 February shows the heron perched on a rock as the camera zooms in. After a while, the bird flies away into the wilderness.

White bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) sighted during the AITE 2021-22.
Prefers undisturbed habitats. IUCN has categorized it under CRITICALLY ENDANGERED species list,with an estimated 250 individuals in the world.@ntca_india @ArunForests @MyGovArunachal @ParveenKaswan pic.twitter.com/pc2IFV0D65

— Kamlang Tiger Reserve (@KamlangTiger) February 12, 2022

The white-bellied heron is mainly dark grey with a contrasting white throat, belly and vent, white-streaked scapulars, fore neck and upper breast.

Both females and males have two lace-like white plumes on the back of their neck.

As per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), herons are categorised as critically endangered owing to their extremely small and rapidly declining population. Their population is estimated to have declined further due to the loss and degradation of lowland forests and wetlands.