Nankeen Night Heron
英文名：Nankeen Night Heron（学名：Nycticorax caledonicus），是鹈形目鹭科的鸟类。56-64厘米；翼展可达1.1米。结实、体态伛偻的夜鹭，头部大，颈短且腿短而黄色；头顶黑色；上体呈浓郁的肉桂色；下体偏白，染浅黄褐色。繁殖羽：两至三根纤细的白色头部饰羽。幼鸟：密布浅褐色与浅黄白色的纵纹，翼上有多排浅黄白色的大型斑点；常被误认为某种麻鳽。亚成鸟：分阶段换羽获得成鸟羽色：头顶黑色；羽毛微染肉桂色，上体具浅色斑点，下体具纵纹。成群夜栖于河流、湖泊、城市公园及花园中枝叶繁茂的树木上，甚至栖于无叶的外来杨树与柳树上，通常靠近水源。黄昏时分以缓慢扇翅的松散群体飞出，宛如飞狐。白天亦可觅食，在涉水时捕获猎物，偶尔在悬停中抓捕。
Nankeen Night Heron
56-64 cm; span to 1.1 m. Stocky, stooped heron, with large head, short neck and short yellow legs; crown black; upperparts rich cinnamon; underparts whitish, washed buff. Breeding Plumage: two or three slender white head plumes. Juvenile: heavily streaked pale brown and buff-white, with rows of large, white and buff spots on wings; often mistaken for a bittern. Immature: gains adult plumage by stages: crown black; plumage washed cinnamon with pale spots above, streaks below. Companies roost in leafy trees, on rivers, lakes, city parks and gardens, even leafless exotic poplars and willows, usually near water. At dusk, moves out in slow-flapping, loose flocks, like flying-foxes. May forage by day, seizing prey while wading or occasionally while hovering.
- Other name
- Rufous Night Heron.
- Similar Species
- Australasian Bittern: bigger, browner, with dark neck-streak; fine black patterns on wings without white spots; rarely in trees. Striated Heron: smaller; reddish morphs are deeper grey-buff below, with dark spots and white streaks down centre of breast.
- Voice
- loud, peevish 'kyok!', often at night.
- Habitat
- shallow margins of rivers, wetlands, mangrove-lined estuaries, offshore islands, floodwaters, garden trees.
- Breeding
- Sept.-Feb. in s.; March-April in n.
- Nest
- loose structure of sticks; in colony over water, in mangroves, swamp woodlands, river red gum forests; often with egrets, cormorants.
- Eggs
- 2-5; light blue-green.
- Range & Status
- mainland Aust. in suitable habitat; nomadic in response to rainfall. Regular, huge breeding colonies in Murray Valley (NSW-Vic.), coastal NT; smaller numbers elsewhere. Uncommon Tas. Also Indonesia to PNG, Solomons, New Cal., sw. Pacific. Vagrant NZ.
- Distribution key to races
- 1.Nycticorax caledonicus australasiae
