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Small heron of wet and open grassy areas such as flooded meadows and paddy fields.
Not listed
At a glance
FamilyHerons, Egrets, and Bitterns
SizeMedium
RarityRare
HabitatMarshes, estuaries, river edges, mangroves, mudflats, and shallow water.
Best timeMost reliable in Western Australia from December.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Matilda
Range map
Range map
1visible hotspots
1visible records
1states
SparseModerateDense hotspot
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
Overview
Uniformly bright rufous upperparts of adult male unmistakable. Female and juvenile have pale streaked belly, dark streaks and spots scattered on the wings and back, and are dark brown with some rufous tones above. Females often have light spotting on the wings, potentially causing confusion with female Schrenck's Bittern, which has brighter and more solid white spots and a prominent dark crown lacking in Cinnamon. Gives dry croaking clicks.
Behavior
Small heron of wet and open grassy areas such as flooded meadows and paddy fields.
Gallery