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This wetland bird stands motionless in the water and strikes at prey as they obliviously swim past.

Description: The Pied Heron has a blue-black crest and body with white cheeks and neck and yellow beak and legs. Immature herons are brown or blue from the top with no crest.

Diet: The Pied Heron is a carnivore and eats insects, frogs, crabs, fish, crustaceans and insects. It pecks swiftly at vegetation while moving along the shore in an attempt to catch its prey.

Breeding: For their nests, the Pied Heron finds a tree and builds a platform of sticks in a tree near water. It lays blue-green eggs and nests in large colonies mixed with egrets and Little Pied Cormorants.

Threats: The Pied Heron has a very large range and population size, however, habitat destruction is a threat.

Did you Know?

Pied Herons may feed alone or in a group of up to 1,000 individuals.

Precinct
Australian Wetlands
Other Name/s
Pied Egret, White-headed Egret
Scientific Name
Ardea picata
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Body Length
43–48 cm
Weight
225–280 g
Class
Bird
Incubation
3–4
Distribution
Northern Australia and parts of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia
Habitat
Coastal wetlands, mangroves and lakes
Region
Asia, Australia
extraMile by Integranet