Nankeen Night Heron.
Photo: K Vang and W Dabrowka © Bird Explorers
Nankeen Night Heron.
Photo: Purnell Collection © Australian Museum
Distribution map of Nycticorax caledonicus
Map © Birds Australia Birdata
Nankeen Night Heron
Scientific name: Nycticorax caledonicus
Family: Ardeidae
Order: Ciconiiformes
- Featured Bird Groups
- Water birds
What does it look like?
Description
The Nankeen Night Heron is a stocky heron with rich cinnamon upperparts, white-buff underparts, a black crown, and yellow legs and feet. The head is large, the neck short (giving a stooped appearance), and the legs relatively short. During breeding the back of the head bears three white nuptial plumes. The bill is dark olive-green, and the eyes are yellow. Young birds are heavily spotted and streaked white, brown and orange-brown. As they mature, the black cap of the adult develops first, with the body plumage remaining streaked for some time. The Nankeen Night Heron is also called the Rufous Night Heron.
Similar species
The Australasian Bittern, Botaurus poiciloptilus, is somewhat similar in form but is larger, with streaked underparts and patterned brown, buff and black upperparts, and does not have a black crown. The Striated Heron, B. striatus, may resemble juveniles in having a black crown, and variable plumage, some forms of which include cinnamon, but this is found only on the underparts, not the upperparts, which are grey in all colour forms. The Striated Heron also has a line of black and white marks down the centre of the foreneck.
Where does it live?
Distribution
The Nankeen Night Heron is found throughout Australia, wherever there is permanent water. It is uncommon in Tasmania.
Habitat
The Nankeen Night Heron frequents well-vegetated wetlands, and is found along shallow river margins, mangroves, floodplains, swamps, and parks and gardens.
Seasonal movements
The Nankeen Night Heron is nomadic in response to rainfall.What does it do?
Feeding
Nankeen Night Herons feed at night in shallow water on a wide variety of insects, crustaceans, fish and amphibians.
Breeding
The Nankeen Night Heron breeds throughout the year, depending on food availability. Breeding takes place in colonies, often together with egrets and cormorants. The nest is a loose stick platform over water. Both sexes incubate the eggs.
Living with us
Living with humans
Drainage of wetlands, and interruption of river flows disrupts the breeding activity of Nankeen Night Herons.
References
Pizzey, G. and Knight, F. 1997. Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Angus and Robertson, Sydney.
Morcombe, M. 2000. Field guide to Australian Birds. Steve Parish Publishing.
Higgins, P.J. and S.J.J.F. Davies (eds) 1996. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, Volume 3 (Snipe to Pigeons). Oxford University Press, Victoria.
Slater, P, Slater, P, and Slater, R 1989. The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds. Lansdowne. Revised edition.