High in the canopy of a Morton Bay Fig, around 6 roosting in a loose group. My guess is a Nankeen Night Heron but the colour is way off from the usually described cinnamon. This is a tight crop of the original file, but it appears there may be part of the breeding plummage visible above the shoulder?
Colour does seem wrong but the rest seems right. Maybe angle of the light.
Possible, but all the others in the group were the same. Doesn't mean the angle of light or shading wasn't affecting them all though
A few other shots of the group
If the whole group looked a bit like that, I'd say it was the light affecting the colour of the plumage. Especially shining down through thick green foliage like that, colour can be quite affected. Definitely Nankeen Night Herons though :)
Birding Blog: Close Encounters of the Bird Kind
These are light morph Striated Herons. Interestingly, their light plumage matches the colour of mearby mud! You had me salivating over possible vagrant Black-crowned Night-herons for a second there! Lorne, Bundanoon, NSW.
Definately Nankeen night heron, brown/ nankeen body, blueish cap and greenish bill with colour extending to the eye. All these factors point to NNH. Striated herons are well... striated in colourign are smaller and spend more time in open mudflats opposed to mangroves.
Cheers Babybirdwatcher
Where's the brown/nankeen on these birds, BabyB? Lorne.
A white plume is clearly visible in pic #1 and therefore I agree with NNH.
Peter
Went back today to get some more shots with a lens of longer reach. It seems this tree is a regular roost judging by the droppings on the ground!
Although the colour is different to the cinnamon shown in various books (depends where you buy your cinnamon I guess), I am pretty sure they are NNH
Thanks all for your input
yes, again the white plume is clearly visible, they are a pale or light colour, where was the location?
Peter
Brisbane, Bayside
There were 2 birds with plumes out of approx 7-8 total They are roosting in a very heavily trafficed area so seem not to be perturbed by human movement, an unobtrusive bird hiding in plain sight I guess.
Cheers
Hi Avian, It certainly looks like NNH but varies in colour quite a bit from one I photographed a few days ago. Mine was brighter overall, yellow legs, yellow eye with black pupil. Different head shape as well. Interesting.
I did check that myself as well. lol. Eye colour is wrong for black-crowned though :P
Birding Blog: Close Encounters of the Bird Kind
Maybe the pale leg colour is an age thing. Looking at other shots all birds have pale yellow legs, even the other one displaying plummage (pic below)
Dumb question, which sex has the breeding plumage? I assumed the male but the reference I have does not stipulate
If they're NNHs, it's amazing how the light through the canopy has completely altered their colouration! You need to go back to the location and really analyse the birds. Lorne
It is my understanding that the breeding plumage is present and the same on both genders.
Birding Blog: Close Encounters of the Bird Kind
Lorne, if not NNH, then what? There is no evidence of striations on the wing or chest, I have seen Sriated Herons in this area and they are very different to the ones above being much more heavily marked. If the above pictures were of a bird that was cinnamon in colour it would be unquestionably a NNH, so it seems that this particular group is just a colour variation of the standard. The BCNH seems to be different again
Having a closer look at some of my shots, the bird in post #9 seems to be an older bird. The tip of the top beak is quite eroded, the eyes are a much paler yellow and the legs are pale and quite scaley. All the other specimens have much brighter eyes and legs.
It's definitely a NNH. It's got the plumes what else could it be. No doubt, it's a NNH no other natives have the plumes like that.
These later shots convince me of Nankeen Night Herons. Man, that light in the original pics was misleading. Lorne
It's a Queensland weekend for me; please PM me the exact location so that if I get south over the river I can go and look at myself; interest sake only as I have stated that I believe they are NNH
Peter