Nankeen Night Herons
Heron Information ... Heron Species (Listing) ... Heron Species Photos
The Nankeen Night Heron, Nycticorax caledonicus, also commonly referred to as the Rufous Night Heron, and in Melanesia as Melabaob, is a medium-sized heron.
Distribution / Range
It is found throughout much of Australia except the arid inland, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Melanesia.
A small colony has also established near Wanganui, New Zealand
Description
The Nankeen Night Heron stands about 56 - 66cm tall.
It is not strictly nocturnal. It often feeds during the day, especially during wet weather.
Diet / Feeding
The bird is dependent on a diet of small fish, reptiles, insects and sometimes eggs.
It can be seen around freshwater rivers, lakes, bulrushes, estuaries, harbors and in residential fishponds for goldfish.
Calls / Vocalizations
Voice: Loud "K-oark", deep-throated rumbling at roost.
Breeding
Nesting: Primarily breeds September - April. A nest platform is built of sticks in a high tree near water, in communal groups.
Eggs: 2-5 light green. Incubation 22 days. Fledge 42-49 days.
Status
Widespread throughout its large range, the Nankeen Night Heron is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the It uses material from ... Additional information and photos added by Avianweb.
High Quality Species Photos, Videos and/or Articles Contributions are welcome! Click here to upload articles and images.
Please Note: The images on this page are the sole property of the photographers (unless marked as Public Domain). Please contact the photographers directly with respect to any copyright or licensing questions. Thank you.
The Avianweb strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please send us an e-mail. THANK YOU!
