The global breeding distribution of the Goliath Heron Ardea goliath

Summary

The Goliath Heron Ardea goliath is the largest heron in the world, and has a range spanning sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent. Despite its large range, its breeding distribution is poorly known, especially in isolated populations outside Africa. We assessed breeding distribution by collating records from literature, citizen science databases and other sources. We located 216 breeding records from 22 countries between 1881 and 2026, most of which came from southern Africa and, to a lesser extent, East Africa. Records from central and West Africa were scarce. We identified the first evidence of breeding in Iran in nearly 50 years, but the status of this isolated population remains uncertain. We found no breeding records in the Sundarbans of India, but repeated observations there suggest that nesting may have gone undetected in this remote wetland landscape. Our assessment identified substantial information gaps in parts of Africa and showed that the remnant populations in the Mesopotamian Marshes and Sundarbans warrant further study in the face of conservation threats.