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Squacco Herons Made Libya’s First Confirmed Breeding Attempt

A squacco heron in breeding plumage standing among wetland vegetation
Research · Reproduction & development

A pair of squacco herons (Ardeola ralloides) made the first confirmed breeding attempt recorded in Libya at treated-wastewater ponds in Wadi Sasso in July 2022. Squacco herons had previously been recorded in the country during migration, and breeding had been suspected but not documented.

The researchers visited the site twice each month from April to September. Numbers rose to eight squacco herons in July and August. An adult in breeding plumage was first recorded on 1 July, and on 14 July the observers found a pair at a twig nest in a tree growing within one of the ponds.

The nest was about 1.5 metres above the water and contained four eggs. One bird was incubating while its mate stayed nearby. This combination of a nest, eggs and incubation provided the first direct evidence that the species had attempted to breed in Libya.

No hatching or fledging was recorded. The researchers report that the nesting attempt was probably lost after treated water was released into the basin and inundated the trees. The squacco herons had left the site by September, in line with their seasonal migration.

The record fills a gap in the species’ known breeding distribution in North Africa and shows that artificial wetlands can provide breeding habitat in arid landscapes. The failed nest also illustrates why water-level management can matter when such sites are used by breeding waterbirds.

Sources and image credit

  1. Breeding record of the Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides (Scopoli, 1769) in LibyaPrimary peer-reviewed open-access article by Elsowayeb, Alroteb and Etayeb in Open Veterinary Journal, volume 16, issue 7 (2026). Used for the observations at Wadi Sasso, the four-egg nest, the likely loss of the nesting attempt and the authors’ conservation recommendations.
  2. Scientific publication documents the first breeding record of the Squacco Heron in LibyaLibyan Bird Foundation announcement published 28 July 2026. Used to verify the public release date and national context.

Image: Adult Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) in breeding plumage in Tarn, France, 12 December 2013. Photo: Pierre Dalous / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Representative species image; not a bird from the Wadi Sasso breeding attempt. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

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