White-faced Heron at the Ponds

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Alice Springs Waste Stabilisation Ponds

The White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) in the family Ardeidae (that include Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns), are a common heron that are found in Australia. They are a medium-sized heron, that are pale blue-grey, with a characteristic white face (the forehead, crown, chin and upper throat are white – although the crown can be variable).

They have a long, slim neck and a pointed grey to black bill (pale grey at the base). The area between the eye and bill (the lores) are usually black. The legs are long and dull yellow in colour. The iris can vary between individuals from grey, green, or dull yellow to a cinnamon brown.

The sexes are similar in appearance. When breeding, the birds have long feathers (nuptial plumes) on the head, neck and back. The young White-faced Herons are similar in appearance to the non-breeding adults (no nuptial plumes), but are duller in colour, with little to no white on the face. They often have a reddish colour on the underparts.

White-faced Herons are found in range of wetland habitats, from the coastline to the arid regions of Australiam, including rock pools, mudflats, estuaries, saltmarsh, rivers, waterholes, sewerage ponds and farm dams.

They feed on a variety of prey, from fish, crustaceans, amphibians and insects. They are also known to eat goldfish from suburban fish ponds.

The photographs presented here were taken in the month of March, August, September and November.

Check out our Birds | White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)

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• Scientific classification
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Subphylum: Vertebrata
• Class: Aves
• Order: Pelecaniformes
• Family: Ardeidae
• Subfamily: Ardeinae
• Genus: Egretta
• Species: Egretta novaehollandiae
• Synonyms:
  • Ardea novaehollandiae
  • Notophoyx novaehollandiae

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