Plumed Egret
Ardea plumifera
A stocky egret that is larger than Eastern Cattle and Little Egrets, but smaller than the Great Egret. Often confusing and difficult to identify, this bird is truly intermediate between potential confusion species. Things to look for include a yellow bill (red-orange during courtship) that is shorter than Great Egret but longer than Eastern Cattle Egret, a relatively rounded head, and shorter legs than Great Egret, approaching Eastern Cattle Egret. Like most egret species, associates with all types of water bodies including wet fields and usually flocks with other egrets.
Identification
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.
Taxonomy
The plumed egret was first formally described as Herodias plumiferus by the English ornithologist John Gould with its type locality given as New South Wales. This taxon has been regarded as a subspecies of the intermediate egret (Ardea intermedia) but on 26 September 2023 the International Ornithological Congress recognised the three subspecies of A. intermedia as valid species.
- Scientific name
- Ardea plumifera
- Authority
- (Gould, 1848)
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Ardeidae
- Genus
- Ardea
Range and habitat
The plumed egret is found in Australasia and breeds in eastern Indonesia, Timor-Leste, New Guinea and Australia, with vagrants occurring in New Zealand and the Solomon Islands. This species is found in the shallow water at the edges of freshwater wetlands and the intertidal zone.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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