Goliath Heron — Okavango Delta Fishing Strike
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A goliath heron executing a strike at a tilapia in the Okavango Delta — the world’s largest heron at full forward strike extension with bill entering the water, the splash around the bill’s entry point still forming.
Description
The goliath heron — the world’s largest living heron at 1.5 metres standing height — is a solitary and territorial fishing bird that defends individual sections of waterway in the Okavango Delta. Its strike technique is similar to other herons but scales to its body size: the forward lunge covers approximately 40cm from the standing position, the bill entering the water at a steep angle with the eyes positioned above the water surface for binocular targeting throughout the strike. This image was made from a mokoro (dugout canoe) at a known goliath feeding location in the Okavango’s permanent channel system, the camera at water level on a floating platform. The bird is captured at the moment of bill entry — the splash forming symmetrically around the bill, the tilapia just visible in the roiled water at the bill tip. The goliath’s purple-and-grey plumage and the reed bed background create the palette of the Okavango waterway.
