Pied Heron
Egretta picata
The Pied Heron (Egretta picata) is a rare herons, egrets, and bittern found in 7 countries, weighing about 259 g. The pied heron, also known as the pied egret is a bird found in coastal and subcoastal areas of monsoonal northern Australia as well as some parts of Wallacea and New Guinea.
About the Pied Heron
The pied heron, also known as the pied egret is a bird found in coastal and subcoastal areas of monsoonal northern Australia as well as some parts of Wallacea and New Guinea.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
It is a small heron, 43–55 cm (17–22 in) long, with dark slaty wings, body, and crested head, with a white throat and neck. The appearance is similar to the white-necked heron. Males (247–280 g (8.7–9.9 oz)) are heavier than females (225–242 g (7.9–8.5 oz)), but the two are similar in appearance. Immature birds lack the crest as well as the dark colouring on the head and may look like small versions of the white-necked heron. The juveniles were once classified as a separate species. Voice: The call of the pied heron is a loud 'awk' or 'ohrk' in flight. Soft cooing is given around the nest. Little else is known about vocalisations.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Taiwan.
When to see it
Best months: January, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Pied Heron?
- It is a small heron, 43–55 cm (17–22 in) long, with dark slaty wings, body, and crested head, with a white throat and neck. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Pied Heron?
- The Pied Heron is a medium sized bird weighing about 259 g.
- Where can you see a Pied Heron?
- The Pied Heron occurs in 7 countries, including Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Timor-Leste and China.
- What birds look similar to a Pied Heron?
- The Pied Heron is most easily confused with the Chinese Egret, the Black Heron and the Slaty Egret.
- Is the Pied Heron endangered?
- The Pied Heron is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Pied Heron for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.