Pacific Reef-Egret (Egretta sacra)

Other Names (World)
Pacific Reef-Egret, Eastern Reef-Egret, Reef Heron, Sacred Reef, Heron, Blue Heron, Blue Reef Heron, Pacific Heron, White Heron, White Reef Heron, Pacific Reef Heron, Pacific Reef-Heron

Family
Ardeidae (Herons)

Size
60 - 70 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Gmelin, 1789)

Derivation
E-gret'-ta - N.L., egret: sä'-cra - L., sacer, sacred

Habitat
Islands, rocky shores, exposed coral reefs, beaches, tidal rivers, inlets, mangroves.

Range (Guide)

Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China (mainland), Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands (B), French Polynesia, Guam (B), India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Marshall Islands (B), Micronesia [Federated States of] (B), Myanmar, New Caledonia, New Zealand (B), North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands (B), Palau (B), Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Solomon Islands (B), South Korea, Taiwan (China), Thailand, Timor-Leste (B) (NB), Tonga, Vietnam.

Vagrant to Nauru.

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

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Habits
Singly or in pairs.

Food
Small fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and other marine life.

Voice
Hoarse croaks.

(17Kb) © ? (1)

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (7)...)

Pacific Reef Heron (Egretta sacra) [XC193903]
by Matthias Feuersenger from Itoman, Okinawa, Japan (alarm call)

Pacific Reef Heron (Egretta sacra) [XC108894]
by Matthias Feuersenger from Caqalai Island, Fiji (call)

Nest
A platform composed of sticks, placed either on a rock or in the branches of a low bushy tree.

Eggs (Guide)
2 - 6; pale green; oval; about 46 x 35 mm. Incubation: about 25 - 28 days.

Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in 5 - 6 weeks.

Subspecies
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:

sacra (Gmelin, 1789) - India, Japan, Malyasia, New Zealand, Australia.
albolineata (Gray, GR, 1859) - New Caledonia and Loyalty Islands.

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

Files:

JPG files for Pacific Reef-Egret (Egretta sacra) - 10 files

MP3 files for Pacific Reef-Egret (Egretta sacra) - 1 files

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