Pied heron

Species of bird From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pied heron

The pied heron (Egretta picata), also known as the pied egret[4] is a bird found in coastal and subcoastal areas of monsoonal northern Australia as well as some parts of Wallacea and New Guinea.

Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...
Pied heron
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At Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Egretta
Species:
E. picata
Binomial name
Egretta picata
(Gould, 1845)[2]
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Distribution. Green: year-round breeding, blue: nonbreeding.
Synonyms
  • Notophoyx aruensis
  • Ardea picata[3]
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Taxonomy

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Pied heron (juvenile) - Fogg Dam - Middle Point - Northern Territory - Australia

The species was originally described by ornithologist John Gould in 1845. Recent taxonomists put this species in the genus Egretta. There are no recognised subspecies.[5]

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Pied heron feeding - Fogg Dam - Middle Point - Northern Territory - Australia
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Pied heron in breeding plumage - Fogg Dam - Middle Point - Northern Territory - Australia

Description

It is a small heron, 43–55 cm long, with dark slaty wings, body, and crested head, with a white throat and neck. The appearance is similar to the white-necked heron.[4] Males (247–280 g) are heavier than females (225–242 g), but the two are similar in appearance.[6]

Immature birds lack the crest as well as the dark colouring on the head and may look like small versions of the white-necked heron. The juveniles were once classified as a separate species.[6]

Distribution and habitat

Its habitat mainly comprises a range of wetlands and wet grasslands.

Behaviour

Call

The call of the pied heron is a loud 'awk' or 'ohrk' in flight.[4] Soft cooing is given around the nest.[6] Little else is known about vocalisations.[6]

Breeding

Breeding takes place from February to May.[4] It nests in trees above the water, including mangroves, often colonially with other species of heron. 1–2 blue-green eggs are laid in a shallow platform of sticks.[4]

Feeding

It feeds on insects, frogs, crabs, fish and other small aquatic animals. Insects are the most important source of food.[6] It may feed alone or in groups of up to a thousand individuals.[6]

References

Bibliography

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