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Often mistaken for an egret in flight due to its all-white wings, but the dark head separates it from any egret.
At a glance
Sounds
Range map
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Nonbreeding adults and juveniles are brown all over save for the white wings. In areas where the ranges of multiple pond-heron species overlap, nonbreeders and juveniles are best left unidentified.
Breeding adults have a chestnut head, neck, and breast, and a veil of bluish-black plumes over the white wings.
Gallery