Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)Where and when to see it in the UK
Status not yet classified · reporting peaks August · Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns · BOU category A
Peak months
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
Squacco Heron has been recorded in 47 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (2%) in records to 2026. Its strongest squares are in England, Wales and Scotland. Reporting peaks in August.
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, LC)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 100% or more of visits
- High
- 6% to 100%
- Moderate
- <1% to 6%
- Low
- under <1%
- Surveyed, not recorded
- at least 20 qualifying visits, no record
- Insufficient records
- too few visits to say
- Lighter fill
- Few visits, lower confidence
- Small dot
- Occasional: a single record, or out of season
Relative to this species' best squares (how classes are calculated)
Seasonality
| Month | Relative to peak | Share of visits | Typical class |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| February | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| March | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| April | 5% | <1% | Moderate |
| May | 36% | <1% | Very high |
| June | 21% | <1% | Very high |
| July | 51% | <1% | Low |
| August | 100% | <1% | Very high |
| September | 5% | <1% | Very high |
| October | 43% | <1% | Low |
| November | 6% | <1% | Moderate |
| December | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in August
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| TA02 | North Lincolnshire, England | 100% | Very high |
| TL87 | Suffolk, England | 100% | Very high |
| SZ89 | West Sussex, England | 6% | High |
| HU27 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | <1% | Insufficient records |
| HU37 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | <1% | Insufficient records |
| NZ18 | Northumberland, England | <1% | Insufficient records |
| NZ28 | Northumberland, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| NZ52 | Redcar and Cleveland, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| SE63 | North Yorkshire, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| SE64 | York, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |