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Striated Heron

Butorides striata

Description:

The Striated Heron is a small, squat water bird with short legs, a black crown and a small, drooping crest. There are two colour morphs (forms). The grey morph has a grey face, throat and neck streaked centrally with black, dark brown and white. The dark grey upperparts have a metallic green sheen and pink-brown to grey underparts. The wings are also green grey, with each feather outlined yellow. The eye is yellow outlined with dark grey, the bill is black and the legs and feet are orange in breeding season (otherwise, dull yellow).

Habitat:

mangrove creek

Notes:

Feeding: The Striated Heron feeds on crabs and other crustaceans, as well as molluscs and small fish. It stalks prey slowly, either standing and waiting for prey to emerge or may sometimes plunge at it from a perch, before stabbing it with its sharp bill. Breeding: The Striated Heron nests in mangroves, building rough, flimsy stick platforms about 3 m to 9 m over water. Both sexes share nest-building, egg incubation and care of young. Two broods may be raised in a season.

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3 Comments

MacChristiansen
MacChristiansen 9 years ago

Thanks Neil

Neil Ross
Neil Ross 9 years ago

Brilliant!!

Ava T-B
Ava T-B 9 years ago

This is a lovely and interesting spotting. I LOVE the second photo! To make it complete, and useful to researchers using this site for data, please edit this and add a reference about this species in the reference field of your spotting. Please do this for each photo you post. Thanks for helping to make Project Noah a complete reference tool for scientists.

MacChristiansen
Spotted by
MacChristiansen

Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Spotted on Dec 11, 2014
Submitted on Dec 11, 2014

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