Egret or Reef Heron, Perth, Australia (2 Viewers)

[Wiganlad]

Whilst editing the picture 1 Little Egret (I hope!) from Cairns last November, I came cross 2019 shots of the second bird in Bibra Lake near Perth but suddenly I am wondering if the thicker neck and paler bill of pics 2 and 3 suggest Pacific reef Heron. Thank you for any help.

 

[aeshna5]

Think you are correct here.

 

[Wiganlad]

Thank you for your reply. So we are looking at Pacific Reef Heron for the bird in picks 2 and 3 and little Egret in pic 1 just to confirm? My old guide says the white morph Reef Heron is more common in north Australia, whereas I saw this just south of Perth, very much southern Australia

 

[aeshna5]

Indeed.

 

[chowchilla]

Doesn't look like a Reef Heron to me. They have a thicker more down-curved bill than this bird.

 

[THE_FERN]

Bill shape is a little variable but I don't see why it's not the reef heron. It's definitely not little egret. The only alternative would be intermediate egret and I really don't think it's that

 

[chowchilla]

I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'd never seen a Reef Heron with such a fine bill in the North. Maybe they occur like that around Perth...

To the OP: Did you see the bird out of the water? Reef Herons have noticeably shorter legs than Little Egret or Eastern Great. They also seem intolerant of other egrets and will often chase them.

 

[THE_FERN]

I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'd never seen a Reef Heron with such a fine bill in the North. Maybe they occur like that around Perth...

To the OP: Did you see the bird out of the water? Reef Herons have noticeably shorter legs than Little Egret or Eastern Great. They also seem intolerant of other egrets and will often chase them.

Not great egret. Some claim gape extent is not a good character throughout that species' range. It certainly is in Oz, though. Here gape does not extend past eye.

 

[njlarsen]

Agree second bird is not a great egret. A quick look in our gallery for images of intermediate E from Australia shows birds with yellow bill. (I hope they are correctly identified). That seems to leave Little E and Reef-heron. Have we actually heard arguments for why it is not a little E?
Niels

 

[Dimitris]

All birds are Little Egrets.

 

[Joe H]

I agree pictures 2 & 3 sure look like a Reef Egret but I’ve only ever seen them along the coast, never in lakes. I had a look at ebird (Bibra Lake is an ebird “hot spot”) but found no mention of any Reef sightings there. Bibra L. does host all of the other white suspects: Cattle, Little, Intermediate, Great. Sorry, I’m not much help but I thought I’d toss in a bit more background.

 

[THE_FERN]

Looking again at these, I think only the second is a ref egret candidate e with the others being little. If images 2 & 3 are if the same bird then I think it must be little egret. The bill in the second image looks very thick but I suppose it's possible this is an artifact

 

[sicklebill]

I think all are Little Egret, the long and thick bill in 2 and 3 is I suspect somehow a photo artefact

 

[chowchilla]

I agree pictures 2 & 3 sure look like a Reef Egret but I’ve only ever seen them along the coast, never in lakes. I had a look at ebird (Bibra Lake is an ebird “hot spot”) but found no mention of any Reef sightings there. Bibra L. does host all of the other white suspects: Cattle, Little, Intermediate, Great. Sorry, I’m not much help but I thought I’d toss in a bit more background.

I don't know how I missed noticing this before - the bird was seen several kilometres inland. This makes it even less likely to be Reef Heron.

I had saltwalter pools and a lake on my city block and yet in 15 years never saw Reef Egret on them. A short walk away to the mudflats however, and I'd see them all the time.