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Australian Wildlife

  Reef Heron (Egretta sacra)





Reef Heron | Egretta sacra photo
Reef Heron photographed at Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Reef Heron | Egretta sacra photo
Reef Heron (grey phase) photographed on Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Reef Heron | Egretta sacra photo
Grey and White Reef Heron together photographed on Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.







REEF HERON FACTS

Description
The Reef Heron has two colour variations. Some birds have white plumage and others are charcoal-grey. They all have yellow legs and brown beaks.

Size
medium-sized egret, reaching 57 to 66 centimeters in length. They have a wingspan of between 90 and 110

Habitat
reefs, rocky shores, mudflats

Food
fish, crustaceans, molluscs

Breeding
Two to three pale green-blue eggs are laid in nests made from twigs, leaves.

Range
found in many areas of Asia including the oceanic region of India, Southeast Asia, Japan, Polynesia, and in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.

distribution map showing range of Egretta sacra in Australia

Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.



Classification
Class:Aves
Order:Ciconiiformes
Family:Ardeidae
Genus:Egretta
Species:sacra
Common Name:Reef Heron

Relatives in same Genus
  Little Egret (E. garzetta)
  Intermediate Egret (E. intermedia)
  White-faced Heron (E. novaehollandiae)