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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Ardeidae
  4. ›
  5. Butorides
  6. ›
  7. Striated Heron
Striated Heron
Photo · no rights reserved

BirdUp · Species

Striated Heron

Butorides striata(Linnaeus, 1758)

Updated 21 March 2026

Origin: Native
Order
PELECANIFORMES
Family
Ardeidae
Genus
Butorides

At a glance

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

Size
43 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 Striated Heron look like?

The Striated Heron is a large bird, about 43 cm long and weighing 125–260 g.

The striated heron also known as mangrove heron or little green heron, is a small heron, about 44 cm tall. It is mostly sedentary and noted for some interesting behavioural traits. The breeding habitat is in South America and the Caribbean. The striated heron was formerly considered to be conspecific with the little heron that is found in the Old World tropics from west Africa to Japan and Australia.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
43 cm
Weight
125–260 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Striated Heron?

The Striated 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 Striated Heron eat?

The Striated Heron feeds on intertidal invertebrates, usually foraging alone.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

6 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Striated Heron live in Australia?

The Striated Heron is native to Australia, recorded across 33 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingMA, SA: east Panama to north Argentina, Bolivia and Chile

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Vagrant

7 regions recorded