Ardea pacifica
Silhouette: Giles Laurent · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The white-necked heron or Pacific heron (Ardea pacifica) is a species of heron that is found on most of the Australian continent wherever freshwater habitats exist. It is also found in parts of Indonesia and New Guinea, but is uncommon in Tasmania. The populations of this species in Australia are known to be nomadic like most water birds in Australia, moving from one water source to another, often entering habitats they have not previously occupied, taking advantage of flooding and heavy rain where the surplus of food allows them to breed and raise their young. Irruptive movements may occur when environmental conditions are right in places where the species has been rare or absent.
The white-necked heron was formally described in 1801 by the English ornithologist John Latham under the current binomial name Ardea pacifica. Latham specified the locality as New South Wales. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The white-necked heron is a large, diurnal, long-legged waterbird. It is mostly slate-grey to black with distinctive black spots in the centre of the lower fore-neck and throat. During the breeding season plum-coloured nuptial plumes... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 15 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birdworld Kuranda | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kuranda Koala Gardens | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-necked Heron sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 944 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 98th most-seen of the 236 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-necked Heron in Melbourne on a given day, against under 5% in December to September, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-necked Heron sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 cities where we can rate White-necked Heron sightings, Melbourne has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Brisbane (Australia, under 5%) and Sydney (Australia, under 5%).
Same genus: Ardea
The closest relatives of the White-necked Heron that you can see in Melbourne (genus Ardea, Great Herons and Egrets) are Great Egret (about 10%) and Ardea modesta (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-necked Heron is recorded against all the birds logged in Melbourne (944 verified sightings), 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.
