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STRIATED HERON FACTS |
Description
The Striated Heron is a squat heron with large head and small drooping crest. The back and wings are green grey, with wing feathers outlined with yellow The neck is streaked down the centre with black, dark brown and white The underside is pinkish brown to pale grey. The bill is black and legs are yellow, turning orange in breeding season. The eye is yellow. It has a crouched posture with head pulled close to body. Young birds are darker and heavily streaked and mottled.
Other Names
Mangrove Heron, Mangrove Bittern, Mangrove Jack, Green-backed Heron
Size
43-51cm
Habitat
mangroves, mudflats, tidal estuaries
Food
crabs and other crustaceans, as well as molluscs and small fish
Breeding
nests in mangroves, building rough, flimsy stick platforms about 3 m to 9 m over water. Lays 2-4 blue-green eggs.
Range
Along the coast of mainland Australia, from Shark Bay, Western Australia, across northern Australia, to Cape York, Queensland, and south to Victoria. It is more common in the north, and uncommon south of Sydney.
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Notes
There is also a rufous (reddish) morph with rich rufous or cinnamon brown underparts and the upper wing feathers are outlined rufous to cinnamon brown.
Classification
| Class: | Aves | | Order: | Ciconiiformes | | Family: | Ardeidae | | Genus: | Butorides | | Species: | striatus | | Common Name: | Striated Heron |
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