Egretta novaehollandiae
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The white-faced heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) also known as the white-fronted heron, and incorrectly as the grey heron, or blue crane, is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indonesia, New Zealand, and all but the driest areas of Australia.
It is a medium-sized heron, pale, slightly bluish-grey, with yellow legs and white facial markings. It can be found almost anywhere near shallow water, fresh or salt, and although it is prompt to depart the scene on long, slow-beating wings if disturbed, it will boldly raid suburban fish ponds.
The white-faced heron was formally described in 1790 by the English ornithologist John Latham. He placed it with the herons in the genus Ardea and coined the binomial name Ardea novaehollandiae. Latham based his account on the "white-fronted heron" that had been described and illustrated in 1789 by the first Governor of New South Wales Arthur Phillip in his book The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay.
It was historically considered to be closely related to Ardea but for some time it was placed in its own genus—Notophoyx—because of the absence of the plumes typical in that... Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | Tierpark Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Planckendael Zoo | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 4 | Melbourne Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Auckland Zoo | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 6 | Loro Parque | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Willowbank Wildlife Reserve | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 8 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Ipswich Nature Centre | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Ōtorohanga Kiwi House | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 11 | Skærup Zoo | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 12 | Birdworld Kuranda | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Kuranda Koala Gardens | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a White-faced Heron sighting in Maria Island National Park on a given day, based on 160 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 26th most-seen of the 81 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and June
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a White-faced Heron in Maria Island National Park on a given day, against about 30% in July to November, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-faced Heron sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 28 parks where we can rate White-faced Heron sightings, Maria Island National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Abel Tasman National Park (New Zealand, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-faced Heron is recorded against all the birds logged in Maria Island National Park (160 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.
