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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Ardeidae
  4. ›
  5. Egretta
  6. ›
  7. Pied Heron
Pied Heron
Photo · (c) Lachlan Copeland, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

BirdUp · Species

Pied Heron

Egretta picata(Gould, 1845)

Updated 21 March 2026

Origin: Native
Order
PELECANIFORMES
Family
Ardeidae
Genus
Egretta

At a glance

The Pied Heron is a large bird, about 43–55 cm long, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
43–55 cm
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Pied Heron look like?

The Pied Heron is a large bird, about 43–55 cm long and weighing 210–372 g.

The pied heron, also known as the pied egret is a bird found in coastal and subcoastal areas of monsoonal northern Australia as well as some parts of Wallacea and New Guinea.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
43–55 cm
Weight
210–372 g
Wingspan
43 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Pied Heron?

The Pied Heron is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Pied Heron eat?

The Pied Heron feeds on terrestrial invertebrates, carrion, intertidal invertebrates and fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

5 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Pied Heron live in Australia?

The Pied Heron is native to Australia, recorded across 35 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingSulawesi and north-east WA to north-east QLD (north Australia)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Breeding
  • Passage
  • Resident
  • Non-breeding
  • Vagrant

7 regions recorded