An Egyptian heron flew to the polar explorers at the Ukrainian station "Academic Vernadsky". These birds live on all continents except Antarctica. This was reported by the National Antarctic Scientific Center, reports UNN.
Details
A strange encounter was captured by biologist Zoya Shvydka from the 30th UAE, who has been working with wetland birds in Ukraine for a long time and almost immediately recognized the exotic guest.
We were preparing for a sea trip in boats and waiting for colleagues outside near the station. Several people went to the pier, and suddenly something unusual flew out from that side. The thought was about a heron, herons have a very characteristic silhouette. Later, in the photo, I saw that it was really her
The scientific center notes that although the flight near the station lasted only a few seconds, this case is a real success for biologists, because not every expedition is lucky enough to see an Egyptian heron near "Vernadsky".
Additionally
The Egyptian heron reaches up to half a meter in size and has an almost meter-long wingspan. The bird is mostly white in color, but the feathers on its head, back and goiter have a beige-yellowish hue.
This species is considered the most common and numerous among the heron family. The bird comes from the African continent, and until the beginning of the 20th century, its natural habitat was the Old World. But about a century ago, the Egyptian heron made a leap to the Western Hemisphere and Australia, and now it lives only in Antarctica.
Perhaps because there are no its favorite animals on the icy continent - wild or domestic ungulates. The bird likes to sit on their backs: from elephants and buffaloes to horses and zebras. Thanks to this neighborhood, the heron easily gets food - large insects that large animals scare in the grass. It also collects insects from the wool and skin of ungulates, - scientists say.