Plumed egret

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Plumed egret
Plumed egret in breeding plumage, Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve, Northern Territory, Australia

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Ardea
Species:
A. plumifera
Binomial name
Ardea plumifera
(Gould, 1848)
  Resident
  Non-breeding
Synonyms
  • Herodias plumiferus Gould, 1848
  • Egretta plumifera (Gould, 1848)
  • Mesophyx plumifera (Gould, 1848)

The plumed egret (Ardea plumifera) is a species of heron native to

sensu lato) alongside the Asian intermediate egret (A. (i.) intermedia) and the African yellow-billed egret
(A. (i.) brachyrhyncha).

Taxonomy

The plumed egret was first formally described as Herodias plumiferus by the English

International Ornithological Congress recognised the three subspecies of A. intermedia as valid species.[3]

Description

The plumed egret is a medium-sized heron, 56 to 70 cm (22 to 28 in) in length with an all white plumage. In breeding plumage it develops long white frilly plumes from its breast and shoulders. In addition, the bill changes colour to red or orange with green lores and the tibia is red and the tarsus is black. Outside the breeding season the bill is yellow-orange with yellow lores and the legs are black.[4]

Distribution and habitat

The plumed egret is found in Australasia and breeds in eastern Indonesia, Timor-Leste, New Guinea and Australia,[5] with vagrants occurring in New Zealand and the Solomon Islands.[6] This species is found in the shallow water at the edges of freshwater wetlands and the intertidal zone.[4]

Biology

The plumed egret is diurnal, hunting in shallow water for fish, frogs, aquatic insects and crustaceans. In Australia this species breeds in late summer forming colonies in trees. They lay 3-5 pale bluish-green eggs which are incubated by the male and the female and take 24–27 days to hatch. The young fledge in 5 or 6 weeks.[7]

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22727683A94956915.en
    . Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  2. ^ Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee (1957). "On Some Avian Types, Principally Gould's, in the Collection of the Academy". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 109: 123–246.
  3. ^ "IOC World Bird List v13.2 Proposed Splits/Lumps". IOC. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-07136-6982-4
    .
  5. doi:10.20938/afo39174194
    .
  6. ^ "Plumed Egret Ardea plumifera". Birdlife International. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Intermediate, Plumed Egret". Birdwatch. BiodiversityWatch. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
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