Pied Heron
Egretta picata· 鹭科(3 photos)
Pied Heron
43-50 cm. Elegant, small, yellow-billed, yellow-legged, dark slate-grey heron with contrasting white throat and neck; crested dark cap pulled well down over eyes. Immature: lacks crest; head/neck white, often smutty; body and wings red-brown to dark blue-grey. Singles to flocks, some large; imms. may outnumber adults: dashes after prey, stands motionless or stabs while hovering. Flocks fly in bunches, with quick wingbeats, necks folded; dash about in air.
- Similar Species
- White-necked Heron.
- Voice
- loud 'awk', usually in flight.
- Habitat
- margins of, and floating vegetation on, wetlands, lakes, freshwater lagoons; ricefields, tidal rivers, mudflats, mangroves, sewage ponds, stockyards, garbage tips, freshly burned ground.
- Breeding
- Feb.-May.
- Nest
- small, shallow platform of sticks; to 5 m high, in live tree over water; in colony, small to large, with other herons, egrets, cormorants.
- Eggs
- 3-4; deep blue-green.
- Range & Status
- coastal/sub-coastal n. Aust., from c. Wyndham (WA) (casual s. to Broome); to c. St. Lawrence (Q). Casual further s. and w. (e.g. Roma (Q), Macquarie Marshes (NSW) where bred in Feb. 2001, Vic.). Wide winter movement to n. coasts may extend in migration to Indonesia. Winter visitor Torres Strait. Dispersive; part-migratory. Also PNG to Borneo.
