Whilst birding the Jubail area recently we came across a good number of Indian Reef HeronEgretta gularis. The species is a common, mostly resident coastal breeder that can be seen in good numbers.
Most birds seen are white morph birds but about 10% are of the grey or black morph. They occur on all coasts of the Kingdom but are seldom recorded inland. I have seen nests on offshore islands in the Arabian Gulf where birds breed in the summer months.
They often occur with other egrets, mainly Little Egrets and Great Egrets and normally stay close to shore to fish.
![Indian Reef Heron - Jubail Indian Reef Heron Grey Morph](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B2GmHzGsB4g/WxoWj1qrmjI/AAAAAAAAcfs/qtIsW9JKpxwAl7ARq2B04wlSNCkL4S02wCLcBGAs/s1600/Indian_Reef_Heron_-_Grey_Morph.jpg)
![Indian Reef Heron - Jubail Indian Reef Heron White Morph1](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sy4hp3SMH1I/WxoWng7Yp8I/AAAAAAAAcf0/iqYxJafY6fUOf_Jahc4TVVJye6hzV1X8ACLcBGAs/s1600/Indian_Reef_Heron_-_White_Morph1.jpg)
![Indian Reef Heron - Jubail Indian Reef Heron White Morph](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UbgS72YcYck/WxoWm-XP8fI/AAAAAAAAcfw/0xU8Gk4FvdgZo6tfCOjYorS7Q7RNBZV2QCLcBGAs/s1600/Indian_Reef_Heron_-_White_Morph.jpg)
![Indian Reef Heron - Jubail Jem Babbington](https://focusingonwildlife.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Jem_Babbington_square-e1326016039596.jpg)
Jem Babbington
Jem Babbington is a keen birder and amateur photographer located in Dhahran, Eastern Saudi Arabia where he goes birding every day. Jem was born in England and is a serious local patch and local area birder who has been birding for almost forty years and has birded in more than fifty countries. Jem is learning to ring birds in Bahrain as a perfect way to learn more about the birds of the area. Saudi Arabia is a very much under-watched and under-recorded country.
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