Nankeen Night Heron — Australian Bird Identification Guide

Bird guideNankeen Night Heron

Roosts communally in trees during the day and forages alone at night, stalking prey in shallow water.

⚠️Not listed

🍃Indigenous: Ngalgurrg, Gandawadjirrig, Garkunydja', A-Garkgunyjah, Galgarawk, Dhaarrin.Gaarrin, Mardban.Garr, Garkgunyjah, Crane, Nankeen Night Heron, Nankeen Crane

At a glance

FamilyHerons, Egrets, and Bitterns

SizeLarge

RarityCommon

HabitatStocky heron that roosts in groups in tall trees, usually beside water (including mangroves).

Best timeMost reliable in Victoria from December to March.

Sounds

Sound sample

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Recorded by Marc Anderson

Range map

Occurrence window

4816visible hotspots

95937visible records

6states

Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

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

Adult is rufous with pale breast and a black cap. Immature is heavy streaked, and can be easily confused with Striated Heron (black crown), Black Bittern (darker, with yellow neck stripe), or Australasian Bittern (which is a much larger bird).

Behavior

It is primarily nocturnal and is observed in a broad range of habitats , including forests, meadows, shores, reefs, marshes, grasslands, and swamps. The face is white with a cinnamon tint, and the nape and crown of breeding adults is a grey-black. During the breeding season, there are also usually two or three thin, white plumes from the crown in a downward direction to the neck.

Gallery