Ardea modesta
Silhouette: Giles Laurent · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The eastern great egret (Ardea alba modesta) is a species of heron from the genus Ardea, usually considered a subspecies of the great egret (A. alba). In New Zealand it is known as the white heron or by its Māori name kōtuku. It was first described by British ornithologist John Edward Gray in 1831.
This species was originally described as the "pure white heron of India", Ardea modesta, by Gray in 1831, but was later generally considered a synonym of Ardea alba, by Ellman in 1861 through to the Peters checklist in 1979. It was elevated to species status again by Sibley and Monroe in 1990, and this was supported by a 2005 revision of the herons. It is still sometimes considered a subspecies of the great egret Ardea alba.
Measuring 83–103 centimetres (33–41 in) in length and weighing 0.7–1.2 kilograms (1 lb 9 oz – 2 lb 10 oz), the eastern great egret is a large heron with all-white plumage. Its bill is black in the breeding season and yellow at other times, and its long legs are red or black. The colours of the bare parts of the face change to green during the breeding season. The breeding plumage is also marked by long neck plumes and a green facial area... Wikipedia →
Recording0:04
Australia · 2023
© Vermilingua_pygmaeus · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 5 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Ardea modesta sighting in Abel Tasman National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 38th most-seen of the 69 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and July
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Ardea modesta in Abel Tasman National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–June, August–September and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 5 and 8 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ardea modesta sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Ardea modesta sightings, Abel Tasman National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Fiordland National Park (New Zealand, about 30%), Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 20%) and Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Malaysia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ardea modesta is recorded against all the birds logged in Abel Tasman National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
