White-faced Heron
White -faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae )
- Only temporarily, no breeding area
- Year-round occurrence
The White -faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae ) is a wading bird of the heron family. It is a medium-sized heron, whose distribution area is Australia.
The IUCN classifies the white-faced one as not at risk ( least concern ).
Features
The white-faced heron is a petite with a body length of about 66 to 68 centimeters, this accounts for about half of the body. The wingspan is 106 centimeters. On average, white-faced weigh 550 grams.
The plumage of the White-faced Heron is mostly of blue-gray color. The face, however, is strikingly white and the belly is cream-colored. Its beak is dark gray and legs are yellowish.
Occurrence
Its circulation area covers Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and much of Oceania. It is found there in salt waters as well as in brackish and fresh waters.
Behavior
White-faced breed in small colonies. They build their nests made of twigs and branches on tall trees near the shore. There the female lays three to five eggs of blue - green color. The eggs are incubated by both parent birds. Also the supply of young birds with food to share both parents. The preferred prey animals include fish, amphibians, mollusks and crustaceans.