Eastern Reef Egret
Grey morph, Ellis Beach, August 2021.
Sexes look alike but there is a grey and a white morph of this bird. The morphs inter breed.
White Morph, Bushland Beach, December 2021.
I find that the leg colour is the best way to distinguish these birds from the other Egrets along with the face skin colour. That said please let me know if this is not a Reef Egret.
Both the leg and face skin are supposed to be a greenish yellow. More later on what I think the colour of the face skin colour of the grey morph is.
Ellis Beach, December 2021.
The grey morph also has a white stripe on the throat that you can clearly see above. The neck is long but the legs as you will see next are short and thick.
Ellis Beach, December 2021.
You usually see these birds on their own stalking their prey. However from September to January they form breeding colonies.
Ellis Beach, November 2019.
Very late one evening back in 2019 was the first time I really noticed this very different looking Egret. Up until then if I thought of an Egret I thought of a white bird.
Ellis Beach, December 2021.
Despite being about 200mm shorter than the Eastern Great Egret they have the same wingspan at about 950mm.
Ellis Beach, December 2021.
The eyes are yellow and the face skin is supposed to be a greenish yellow. Looks grey to me. The bill usually looks a slight pink grey to me with the grey morph.
Ellis Beach, December 2021.
They feed in the shallows along the shore line. They actively hunt whilst wading in the water or dropping down on their prey from rocks. For that reason you find them most active in the lower tides.
Ellis Beach, August 2021.
Their main food sources are fish and crustaceans. I see them catching little fish in the shallows often.
Ellis Beach, December 2021.
They get wispy nuptial feathers on the back, nape and breast.
Ellis Beach, December 2021.
They make a load croak when alarmed and a guttural call at the nest. Nest are formed on rock ledges or in low shrubs.
Ellis Beach, August 2021.