About White-Bellied Heron:
- The white-bellied heron (Ardea insignis ) is the second largest living species of heron.
- Other Names: It is also known as the imperial heron or great white-bellied heron.
- Habitat: It inhabits the wetlands of tropical and subtropical forests in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas.
- Distribution: It is mainly living in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in northeast India and Bhutan to northern Myanmar.
- Diet: It prefers free-flowing riverine habitats with low disturbance, and predominantly depends on fish found in the river rapids.
- Biological Role: Its presence in our ecosystem indicates the health of the rivers, the environment, the fish population, and water quality.
- Threats: It is threatened by habitat loss, increasing disturbance and habitat degradation due to conversion of wetlands for agriculture and expansion of settlements.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
- Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule-I.
