The pied heron (''Egretta picata''), also known as the pied egret is a bird found in coastal and subcoastal areas of

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...

al northern Australia as well as some parts of

Wallacea Wallacea is a biogeographical designation for a group of mainly Indonesian islands separated by deep-water straits from the Asian and Australian continental shelves. Wallacea includes Sulawesi, the largest island in the group, as well as ...

and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

Taxonomy

Pied Heron (Juvenile) - Fogg Dam - Middle Point - Northern Territory - Australia

The

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

was originally described by ornithologist

John Gould John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist. He published a number of monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, including Edward Lear, ...

in 1845. Recent

taxonomist In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are give ...

s put this species in the genus '' Egretta''. There are no recognised subspecies. Pied Heron feeding - Fogg Dam - Middle Point - Northern Territory - Australia

Pied Heron feeding - Fogg Dam - Middle Point - Northern Territory - Australia

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 The white-necked heron or Pacific heron (''Ardea pacifica'') is a species of heron that is found on most of the Australian continent wherever freshwater habitats exist. It is also found in parts of Indonesia, New Guinea and New Zealand, but is ...

. Males (247–280 g) are heavier than females (225–242 g), but the two are similar in appearance. Immature birds lack the crest as well as the dark colouring on the head and may look like small versions of the

. The juveniles were once classified as a separate species.

Distribution and habitat

Its habitat mainly comprises a range of

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

s and wet

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

Behaviour

Call

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

Breeding

Breeding takes place from February to May. It nests in trees above the water, including

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

s, often colonially with other species of heron. 1–2 blue-green eggs are laid in a shallow platform of sticks.

Feeding

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

References

Bibliography

* Marchant, S.; & Higgins, P.J. (Coordinators). (2000). ''

Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds The ''Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds'', known as ''HANZAB'', is the pre-eminent scientific reference on birds in the region, which includes Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, and the surrounding ocean and subantarctic ...

. Vol.1: Ratites to Ducks''. Oxford University Press: Melbourne.

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q420729 Egretta pied heron Birds of New Guinea Birds of New South Wales Birds of the Northern Territory Birds of Sulawesi Birds of Queensland pied heron pied heron