White-necked heron facts for kids

Quick facts for kids White-necked heron
In Edithvale Wetland, Melbourne, Australia
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Ardea
Species:	pacifica

The white-necked heron or Pacific heron (Ardea pacifica) is a large bird found mostly in Australia. You can spot them wherever there's fresh water. They also live in parts of Indonesia, New Guinea, and New Zealand, but they are not common in Tasmania.

These herons are known to be nomadic in Australia. This means they move around a lot, just like many other water birds. They travel from one water source to another, especially when there's a lot of rain or floods. This helps them find plenty of food and good places to breed and raise their young. Sometimes, when conditions are just right, their numbers can grow very quickly in places where they used to be rare.

What Does the White-necked Heron Look Like?

This is a large water bird that is active during the day. Its feathers are mostly slate-grey to black. It has special black spots on the front of its lower neck and throat.

During the breeding season, these birds grow beautiful plum-colored feathers on their back and chest. When they fly, they move their wings slowly and steadily, looking very graceful.

• Size: They are about 76 to 106 centimeters (about 2.5 to 3.5 feet) long.
• Wingspan: Their wings can spread out from 147 to 160 centimeters (about 4.8 to 5.2 feet) wide. Some people think their wingspan might even be closer to 2 meters (about 6.5 feet)!
• Weight: They weigh around 860 grams (about 1.9 pounds).

Their beak is black, and the skin on their face is usually blue or yellow. Their eyes are green, and their legs and feet are black too. They have a long neck and a long beak, which are perfect for catching fish, frogs, spiders, and other food in the water. Most of their head and neck are white. The black spots on their neck are easier to see when they are not breeding.

Young Herons: From Chicks to Teens

When they are very young chicks, their fluffy feathers are longer, especially on their head. Their neck and head are white, while their upper wings and back are a light grey-brown.

As they grow, their first feathers are a dark grey. Young herons have a wide grey-black stripe running down the front of their neck. Their head and neck often have a brownish-grey color. As they get older, these juvenile feathers wear out and are replaced by the adult feathers.

Where Do White-necked Herons Live?

You can find the white-necked heron across most of Australia. They love living in wetlands, areas affected by tides, shallow fresh waters, farm dams, and even puddles in roadside ditches.

This bird has done very well since people changed the Australian landscape. Things like irrigation systems, dams, and other man-made water sources have created more places for them to live and find food.

However, you won't find them in some parts of Western Australia and South Australia. They also avoid very dry areas like the Great Sandy Desert, Gibson Desert, Great Victoria Desert, and the Nullarbor Plain. Scientists are still learning about how these birds move around. They often travel suddenly, which is usually because of environmental changes. This helps them survive in Australia's sometimes harsh environment.

How White-necked Herons Live

The white-necked heron is thought to be a shy bird. They are very careful about their surroundings and prefer to stay in open areas where they can see everything around them.

You will usually find them alone or in pairs in shallow wetlands, looking for food. They are quite protective of their feeding spots and will aggressively defend them from other birds. They have even been seen bothering ibis and raptors, sometimes even stealing food they have caught!

When their water sources dry up, they fly to other places with water. They usually fly at a height of 30 to 100 meters (about 100 to 330 feet). Their homes include wetlands on land and grasslands. They need places where there is always water. As mentioned, the changes humans have made to the Australian landscape, like farm dams and flooded pastures, have actually helped these birds because they provide more places for them to find prey.

When baby herons are about three-quarters grown, they start to leave the nest. When the young are first born, the parent birds take turns shading them with their wings to keep them cool. Young herons usually take their first flight when they are about 6 to 7 weeks old.

Life Cycle and Reproduction

White-necked herons build their nests from bulky materials like twigs and sticks, usually about 1 to 2 centimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) thick. The nest is built loosely on a platform with a dip in the middle. It usually measures 30 to 60 centimeters (about 1 to 2 feet) across.

Nests are often built high up in trees, between 15 to 30 meters (about 50 to 100 feet) above the ground. They always choose a tree that is close to a good source of food and water.

During breeding season, male herons spend a lot of time on or near the nest. They might play with nesting materials, clean their feathers, and show off to attract a mate. The male also performs a special dance:

• He starts standing normally.
• Then, he lowers his body until it's horizontal.
• He throws his head back almost touching his body.
• Finally, he stretches his head towards the sky and pumps it up and down three to four times over about a minute.
• While doing this, he bends his legs and makes a deep "oomph" sound or a croak.

They usually breed once a year. It is believed that male and female herons stay together as a pair for life. The nesting season runs from September to December, sometimes even into January.

It is thought that the eggs hatch after about 30 days of incubation. The eggs are a light blue-green color and measure about 53mm by 38mm. A group of eggs, called a clutch, usually has four eggs, but sometimes there can be as many as six. Both parents take turns sitting on the eggs to keep them warm. On average, between 0.3 and 1.8 young birds from each nest survive to adulthood.

What Do White-necked Herons Eat?

White-necked herons have a varied diet! They eat:

• Freshwater mussels
• Fish
• Shrimp
• Freshwater crayfish
• Spiders
• Dragonfly nymphs (young dragonflies)
• Damselflies
• Praying mantises
• Grasshoppers
• Water beetles
• Lizards
• Young ducklings
• Young freshwater rats
• Amphibians (like frogs and tadpoles)

When they feed their young, they often bring back regurgitated (partially digested and brought back up) tadpoles. Sometimes, the bigger young birds will even push smaller ones out of the nest to get more food!

Predators and Threats

• Introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
• Feral cat (Felis catus)

The white-necked heron is considered to have a secure population in all states and territories of Australia.

Images for kids

• 

  A young white-necked heron.

• 

  A white-necked heron flying.

• 

  A white-necked heron standing in water.

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  A white-necked heron looking for food.

See also

In Spanish: Garza de cuello blanco para niños