As rainfall becomes less predictable, the bird’s reliance on shallow wetland edges is leaving it vulnerable to disrupted feeding, nesting and habitat conditions.
The Indian Pond Heron, one of South Asia’s most familiar wetland birds, is facing growing pressure as climate change alters the shallow ponds, marshes and flooded fields it depends on for food and breeding.
The small heron, scientifically known as Ardeola grayii, is widespread across Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. It is commonly seen beside ponds, rivers, canals, paddy fields and roadside wetlands before striking at fish, frogs, crustaceans and aquatic insects.
But that dependence on shallow water leaves the species exposed to changes in rainfall and water availability.
Climate change is increasing hydrological uncertainty across Asian wetlands, with drought, higher evaporation and greater variability in water levels reducing reliable feeding habitat for waterbirds. Research on Asian flyways warns that shrinking and fragmented wetlands are concentrating birds into fewer suitable refuges.
For the Indian Pond Heron, reduced rainfall can narrow feeding opportunities. A behavioural study in Kerala reported reduced foraging areas linked to decreased rainfall, increasing competition among fish-eating waterbirds.
The bird usually feeds along wetland edges, where shallow water makes prey easier to catch. When ponds dry too quickly, these feeding grounds can disappear. Intense rainfall and sudden flooding can also change water depth and disturb the shallow margins where the bird hunts.
The species breeds in trees and shrubs, often in colonies, with breeding timing associated with seasonal rainfall across much of its range. Unpredictable monsoon patterns could disrupt conditions that support feeding and nesting, though more species-specific research is needed to measure long-term impacts.
Wetland destruction, pollution, urban expansion and water extraction add further pressure.
The Indian Pond Heron remains common across South Asia. But its future depends heavily on something becoming less predictable in a warming climate: healthy wetlands with water arriving at the right time and remaining at the right depth.
The following video is in Bangla:
