Nankeen Night Heron Nycticorax caledonicus Scientific name definitions

55–65 cm; 550–1014 g (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); wingspan 95–116 cm (2 Kennedy, R. S., P. C. Gonzales, E. C. Dickinson, H. C. Miranda, and T. H. Fisher (2000). A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Medium-sized, stocky, short- and thick-necked heron, with short, heavy, black bill . Distinctive combination of black cap and rufous to dull brown back and wings . Very variable, even within same area; sexes alike, though female averages smaller in most measurements. Overall coloration pale cinnamon to deep brown (offering ready distinction from adult N. nycticorax), paler on neck and throat, with white belly (in most subspecies) and in breeding plumage has two or three long white plumes (initially tipped black) emanating from crown; underwing white with cinnamon-rufous flight feathers ; legs range from bright yellow to dusky ochre-yellow, eyes  yellow, and lores and facial skin greenish yellow. Legs can be bright pink, lores blue and iris brilliant red during courtship. Non-breeding adult lacks nuchal plumes. Juvenile heavily spotted and streaked rufous, brown, buff and white, underwing white streaked grey-brown and rufous-brown flight feathers; eyes yellow to orange-yellow, facial skin yellow-olive, legs and feet lime-green to olive-grey, and bill mainly grey-black with yellowish cutting edges and base to mandible; with age crown becomes blacker and upperparts more rufous and less spotted. Young of this species difficult to separate from same-age N. nycticorax, but note more rufous-brown tone to plumage, dark brown-buff (not brown) and spotted uppertail-coverts, white (not grey-brown) rump, rufous-brown barred dark brown (not grey) tail and, on average, slightly smaller size. Compared to juvenile Butorides striata, present species is larger, has obvious pale spotting on back and wings, and pale underparts; from Botaurus poiciloptilus by shorter neck, hunched posture, rufous (not brown) upperparts, spotted (not barred) wings and habitat. Races separated on colours of upperparts and of nuchal plumes, with intergrades between australasiae and manillensis reported from Java and Borneo, and between australasiae and mandibularis in New Britain and New Hanover (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 3 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); nominate has duller and greyer upperparts compared to adjacent subspecies; <em>manillensis</em> is relatively large and dark, with dark maroon-coloured upperparts and chestnut-washed underparts, poorly developed eyering and nuchal plumes are smoky black or white with dusky bases and tips; australasiae is smaller and paler than the previous race, and has a superciliary and pale rufous-chestnut upperparts, lacking the dull tones of the nominate (4 Beehler, B. M., and T. K. Pratt (2016) Birds of New Guinea: distribution, taxonomy, and systematics. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Close ); mandibularis is relatively small race, lacks rufous-white eyebrow and eyering, but has rich chestnut upperparts, neck and upper breast, and black-tipped nuchal plumes; <em>pelewensis</em> is dull maroon above.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Also New Zealand, where introduced (australasiae), but possibly also native (5 Gill, B. J., B. D. Bell, G. K. Chambers, D. G. Medway, R. L. Palma, R. P. Scofield, A. J. D. Tennyson, and T. H. Worthy (2010). Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. 4th edition. Ornithological Society of New Zealand & Te Papa Press, Wellington, New Zealand. Close ).

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SUBSPECIES

Nycticorax caledonicus crassirostris Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Bonin Is.

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SUBSPECIES

Nycticorax caledonicus manillensis Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Philippines, Borneo, Java and Bali.

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SUBSPECIES

Nycticorax caledonicus australasiae Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Sulawesi, Moluccas, Lesser Sundas and Aru Is through W Papuan Is and lowland New Guinea (including Biak I) to NW Bismarck Archipelago (Ninigo Is to Admiralty Is) and Australia (except arid interior).

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SUBSPECIES

Nycticorax caledonicus mandibularis Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Bismarck Archipelago (except NW islands) to Solomon Is.

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SUBSPECIES

Nycticorax caledonicus pelewensis Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Palau and Caroline Is (Chuuk).

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SUBSPECIES

Nycticorax caledonicus caledonicus Scientific name definitions

Distribution

New Caledonia.

• Black-crowned x Nankeen Night Heron (hybrid) Nycticorax nycticorax x caledonicus

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Inland or coastal areas of fresh or brackish water, in areas permanently or semi-permanently flooded; normally in shallow water with forested margins, at swamps, lakes, pools, along slow-moving rivers , estuaries fringed with mangroves, inlets of sea. Also places with less or lower vegetation cover, including wet meadows, flooded grassland, reedbeds, saltmarshes, dunes, rock or coral reefs and atolls. Up to 1600 m in New Guinea (once 2200 m) (4 Beehler, B. M., and T. K. Pratt (2016) Birds of New Guinea: distribution, taxonomy, and systematics. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Close ); to 700 m in Melanesia (3 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Also in built-up areas, e.g. urban wetlands, ornamental ponds in gardens; at such sites may roost and even breed (see Family Text).

Apparently essentially sedentary; post-breeding dispersal sometimes far-reaching, has presumably contributed to colonization of Sundas and Philippines. Also some movements connected with local water supply, e.g. in Darling–Murray basin in SE Australia (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). At least part of population at S of range seems to move N fairly regularly in winter and records from some Indonesian islands (e.g. Kai Is) perhaps only visitors from Australia during non-breeding season (6 Johnstone, R. E., and S. (B.) van Balen (2013). The birds of the Kai and Tayandu Islands, Maluku region, Indonesia. Western Australian Naturalist 29(1):11–56. Close ). Australian breeders may also be frequent visitors to New Guinea, with one ringed in Victoria recovered there; also vagrant to Tasmania, Lord Howe I (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), S Sumatra and Enggano I (7 Iqbal, M. and Takari, F. (2006). First records of Rufous Night-heron Nycticorax caledonicus for Sumatra. Kukila. 13: 79–80. Close ), Cocos Is (where has bred) (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ) and Christmas I (Indian Ocean), as well as Vanuatu (3 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and Taiwan (2003, 2008 and 2009) (8 Liu, Y., Wei, Q., Dong, L. and Lei, J.-Y. (2013). [On an update of recent new bird records in China]. Chinese J. Zool.. 48(5): 750–758. (In Chinese with English summary.). Close ).

Diet varied and adaptable. Great variety of fish (e.g. Gambusia, Carassius) (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), amphibians, crustaceans (shrimps and crayfish Cherax, Euastacus) (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), molluscs, crabs (Holthuisiana) (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), aquatic insects and their larvae (water beetles, crickets, water bugs, caterpillars, wasps, ants, dragonfly larvae and termites) (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); also eggs and chicks of other birds (especially colony-nesting species such as cormorants, ibis and spoonbills, but also starlings, ducks and House Sparrows Passer domesticus) (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), newly hatched sea turtles, mice (Mus) during plagues and human rubbish. Generally feeds alone, apparently maintaining territory, but will congregate when food is unusually abundant (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); uses passive techniques, especially Standing and Walking Slowly , but sometimes uses more active techniques, including Feet First Diving (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ) and Swimming . Mainly crepuscular and nocturnal, but can be partially diurnal when feeding chicks.

Vocalizations generally considered to be similar to those of N. nycticorax, including a loud “wock” or “quok” in flight, a “rok” in threat (e.g. while foraging) and series of “wak-wak-wak-wak” notes on roost perch (2 Kennedy, R. S., P. C. Gonzales, E. C. Dickinson, H. C. Miranda, and T. H. Fisher (2000). A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

In Australia, timing depends largely on food availability related to rainfall and water conditions; can occur year-round, but mainly Oct–Mar (Dec–Jul on Great Barrier Reef to coincide with hatching of sea turtles) (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); recorded May and Aug–Dec on Borneo (9 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ), Feb–Jun in Java, Feb–Jun, Aug and Nov in Philippines (2 Kennedy, R. S., P. C. Gonzales, E. C. Dickinson, H. C. Miranda, and T. H. Fisher (2000). A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 10 Allen, D., C. P. Española, G. Broad, C. Oliveros, and J. C. T. Gonzalez (2006). New bird records for the Babuyan Islands, Philippines, including two first records for the Philippines. Forktail 22:57–70. Close ), Sept–Nov in New Caledonia (11 Barré, N., Tron, F., Chartendrault, V., Okahisa, Y., Sato, N.J., Legault, A. and Theuerkauf, J. (2013). Breeding seasons of landbirds in New Caledonia. Wilson J. Orn.. 125(2): 384–398. Close ) and Nov in New Zealand (12 Marsh, N. and Lövei, G.L. (1997). The first confirmed breeding by the Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) in New Zealand. Notornis. 44(3): 152–155. Close ). Highly gregarious, forming colonies of up to 250 pairs, or even 3000, but occasionally solitary; colonies are not synchronized (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); often with other herons, spoonbills (Platalea), cormorants (Phalacrocorax) and ibises (Threskiornis), but in such situations tends to remain apart from other species, sometimes with several nests on same tree (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Nests in trees (including introduced pines and cypresses) (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ) or large bushes, 20+ m above water; also under rock overhangs, on piles of coral rock and even on ground or in caves, on islands without trees where predation negligible; nest of sticks lined with leaves, typically 200–300 mm by 30–40 mm, but occasionally up to 350–500 mm by 80–150 mm, though some ground nests consist of just a few sticks, which may be stolen from other nests and are usually brought by male (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Normally 2–3 pale green-blue eggs  (2–5), mean size 50 mm × 37 mm (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); incubation c. 3 weeks, by both sexes, commencing with first egg (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); chicks have dark brown down, white on belly, with cream-coloured bill edged black, orange-yellow to yellow eyes, white to orange-pink lores and olive-coloured legs and feet; fledging c. 6–7 weeks, but are fed away from the nest after 21 days (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Normally single-brooded, but record of pair breeding in winter and then in summer. Sexual maturity usually in third year, but can successfully breed earlier (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). In Australia, widespread and common in suitable habitat, some of which has suffered alteration due to drainage, clearing, burning, increasing salinity, groundwater extraction and flood control (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Generally more numerous in N, E & SW Australia, and rare or absent in inland and NW Western Australia (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Locally common in New Guinea and fairly common in Melanesia (3 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), but uncommon in Philippines (2 Kennedy, R. S., P. C. Gonzales, E. C. Dickinson, H. C. Miranda, and T. H. Fisher (2000). A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), on Borneo (9 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ) and most of Lesser Sundas (3 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). One colony in Sulawesi contained minimum of 70 birds, alongside ten N. nycticorax and some hybrids. Reportedly very rare on Java. Failed introduction to New Zealand in mid-19th century (1 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), but apparently colonized naturally, with nesting reported in late 1950s and again in 1995 (13 Marsh, N. (1995). Nankeen Night Herons (Nycticorax caledonicus) on the Whanganui River. Notornis. 42(4): 282–283. Close , 12 Marsh, N. and Lövei, G.L. (1997). The first confirmed breeding by the Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) in New Zealand. Notornis. 44(3): 152–155. Close ). Nominate of New Caledonia said to be quite common. Race crassirostris of Bonin Is, to S of Japan, became extinct around 1889 (see Family Text ).