Pacific Reef Heron

Egretta sacra (Gmelin, JF, 1789)

57–66 cmLength95 cmWingspan502 gWeight

It is a heron with two color morphs, slate-gray and pure white, with the sexes looking alike.

Most records: China, Australia, Thailand

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Two color morphs: slate-gray or pure white
Gray morph has a single narrow white stripe on the throat and chin
Yellow-gray legs
Rufous bill; golden-yellow eyes

Male, female and young

Sexes similar; immatures have more rufous, duller feathers.

Where and when it's recorded

Most records: China, Australia, Thailand

Pacific Reef Heron has been recorded at 525 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 35 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Yeliu IBATaiwan (China)3,286 records
Cairns EsplanadeAustralia1,949 records
Po ToiHong Kong (China)1,782 records

More places

Buffalo CreekAustralia859 records
Cairns Esplanade – Southern EndAustralia675 records
Laem Phak Bia – sandspitThailand670 records
Man Nai IslandThailand656 records
Marina EastSingapore618 records
Penghu – Jibei IslandTaiwan (China)584 records
East PointAustralia556 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China Australia Thailand Singapore New Zealand Guam Indonesia Malaysia

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 Pacific reef heron (Egretta sacra), also known as the eastern reef heron or eastern reef egret, is a species of heron found throughout southern Asia and Oceania. It occurs in two colour morphs with either slaty grey or pure white plumage. The sexes are similar in appearance.

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

Questions

How big is the Pacific Reef Heron?

The Pacific Reef Heron is about 57–66 cm long, with a wingspan of 95 cm and weighs around 502 g.

Where does the Pacific Reef Heron live?

Its breeding range: Oriental, Australasia: coastal southern Bangladesh and Andaman Islands to Ryukyu Islands (southern Japan), Australasia (except southern outlying islands), Melanesia to Tuamotu Archipelago (eastern Polynesia). It is most often recorded in China, Australia and Thailand.

Is the Pacific Reef Heron endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Pacific Reef Heron as Least Concern.

What does the Pacific Reef Heron eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Pacific Reef Heron in?

It belongs to the family Herons, Bitterns (Ardeidae), order Pelecaniformes.

At a glance

Length: 57–66 cm
Wingspan: 95 cm
Weight: 502 g
Habitat: Coast & tidal flats
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 263 mm
Tail: 86 mm
Bill: 82 mm
Tarsus: 68 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental, Australasia: coastal southern Bangladesh and Andaman Islands to Ryukyu Islands (southern Japan), Australasia (except southern outlying islands), Melanesia to Tuamotu Archipelago (eastern Polynesia)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Herons, Bitterns Ardeidae
Genus: Egretta

Other birds in the genus Egretta

Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea

Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor

Reddish EgretEgretta rufescens

Slaty EgretEgretta vinaceigula

Black HeronEgretta ardesiaca

Chinese EgretEgretta eulophotes

Snowy EgretEgretta thula

Little EgretEgretta garzetta

Western Reef HeronEgretta gularis

Pied HeronEgretta picata

White-faced HeronEgretta novaehollandiae

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/). ↗

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