Angola, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China (mainland), Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Côte dIvoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guam (NB), Guinea, Guinea-bissau, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali (B), Mauritania, Micronesia [Federated States of] (NB), Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands (NB), Pakistan, Palau (NB), Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia (Asian), Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Taiwan (China), Tanzania [United Republic of], Thailand, Timor-Leste (B) (NB), Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia (B), Zimbabwe.
Vagrant to Christmas Island, Jordan, Maldives, New Zealand, Oman, Seychelles, United Arab Emirates, USA, Yemen.
Population
Estimated population is 180,000 - 1,300,000 (2010).
Status LC
Degradation of habitat, pollution, distrurbance of nesting colonies, are the main threats.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia) [XC840667]
by id from Chong Ming Dong Tan NR, China (call)
Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia) [XC311266]
by Peter Boesman from Bundala Ramsar Wetland, Sri Lanka (call)
Nest
An almost flat structure composed of thin sticks and twigs, in some instances with leaves attached, placed in the branches of a tree growing in or near water. In colonies, often in association with other water-birds.
Eggs (Guide)
3 - 6; pale blue-green; oval; about 46 x 35 mm. Incubation: about 24 - 27 days; by both sexes.
Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in 5 - 6 weeks.
Subspecies
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
intermedia (Wagler, 1829) - South-eastern Asia and western Indonesia north to Japan.
brachyrhyncha (Brehm, AE, 1854) - Africa south of Sahara. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Yellow-billed Egret (Ardea brachyrhyncha).
plumifera (Gould, 1848) - Eastern Indonesia to New Guinea and Australia. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Plumed Egret (Ardea plumifera).
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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BirdLife International Species Factsheet