Nankeen Night Heron

How to identify

Field marks

1. Cinnamon-chestnut upperparts and white underparts
2. Heavy black bill about as long as the head
3. Breeding adults often have 2–3 long white crown feathers
4. Rather short legs and feet, which can turn bright pink during courtship

Male, female and young

Sexes similar, with the female slightly smaller; juveniles have a blackish-brown crown and nape with beige stripes.

Voice

Adult males give a “qu-arck” when leaving their roost at night; the bird gives a harsh, low “quok” in flight.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: October–January · Most records: Australia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea

Nankeen Night Heron has been recorded at 342 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 14 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

1. Royal Botanic Gardens MelbourneAustralia2,158 records
2. Herdsman LakeAustralia1,949 records
3. Cairns EsplanadeAustralia1,248 records

Countries and regions with the most records

AustraliaPhilippinesPapua New GuineaCocos (Keeling) IslandsIndonesiaMalaysiaPalauNew Caledonia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The nankeen night heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) is a heron that belongs to the genus Nycticorax and the family Ardeidae. Due to its distinctive reddish-brown colour, it is also commonly referred to as the rufous night heron. It is primarily nocturnal and is observed in a broad range of habitats, including forests, meadows, shores, reefs, marshes, grasslands, and swamps.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions