Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus)

Other Names (World)
Rufous Night-Heron, Nankeen Night-Heron, Night Heron, Nankeen Night Heron

Family
Ardeidae (Herons)

Size
56 - 64 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Gmelin, 1789)

Derivation
Nyc'-ti-cor'-ax - Gk, nyx, nyctos, night; Gk, corax, crow: caledonicus - of (New) Caledonia

Abundance (Guide)
C

Common in the south-east and south-west. Scarce in the interior.

Habitat
Shallow margins of rivers, wetlands, mangrove-lined estuaries, offshore islands, floodwaters, trees in gardens and parks.

Range (Guide)

Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Micronesia [Federated States of] (B), New Caledonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau (B), Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste (B) (NB).

Vagrant to New Zealand (B).

Australia generally, including Tasmania.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 110,000 - 1,100,000 (2010).

Status LC
Secure.

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Habits
Singly or in small groups, especially while roosting.

Food
Yabbies, freshwater molluscs, frogs and aquatic insects.

Voice
Deep croaks.

(5Kb) © ? (2)

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (19)...)

Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) [XC717339]
by Lim Ying Hien from Carindale, Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia (nocturnal flight call)

Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) [XC165153]
by Frank Lambert from Herdsman Lake (Maurice Hamer Park North), Western Australia, Australia (flight call)

Breeding Season (Guide)
September - February in south, March - April in north.

Nest
A scanty platform composed of sticks, placed on a horizontal branch of a tree. In colonies, sometimes large.

Eggs (Guide)
Usually 2 - 3; chalky light turquoise; oval; about 51 x 37 mm. Incubation: 21 days; by both sexes.

Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 49 days. Fed by both parents.

Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), with which has hybridized in Java, Sulawesi and Philippines. Subspecies crassirostris of Bonin Is extinct.

The following 7 subspecies are recognised:

caledonicus (Gmelin, 1789) - New Caledonia.
manillensis Vigors, 1831 - Philippines, eastern Borneo and Sulawesi.
hilli Mathews, 1912 - Australia north to Java and New Guinea.
pelewensis Mathews, 1926 - Palau and Caroline Is.
mandibularis Ogilvie-Grant, 1888 - Bismarck Archipeligo to Solomon Islands.
crassirostris ! Vigors, 1839 - Bonin Island. Extinct.
australasiae (Vieillot, 1823) - Australia and New Guinea, west to Java.

Similar Species
Immatures and juveniles with immature and juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax).

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References
See References.

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9

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