ianmichaelthomas
Close-Up of A Rufus Night Heron
This bird is a completely wild and free Rufus Night Heron - it has come to Parkville, the site of Royal Melbourne Zoo, to muscle in on the Little Penguin feeding taking place metres away.
The Nankeen, or Rufous, Night-heron is a stocky, but handsome bird. Although it's name suggests it is not strictly nocturnal. It often leaves it's roost to feed in the afternoon, particularly when breeding, and will feed all day in wet weather. This may be because the rain stimulates frog and fishes, on which the heron feeds, making food more accessibly. The Nankeen Night-heron roosts and nest communally, sometimes in great numbers, in high sturdy trees. Birds may use the same roosting trees for many years. At dusk the birds will fly out from their roost with loud calls to other members of the colony. They can travel great distances to feed, returning to the roost at dawn. Nankeen Night-herons will feed on insects, fish, frogs, tadpoles and crustaceans in and around freshwater rivers, lakes, bulrushes, estuaries, harbors and in residential fishponds for goldfish. They hunt by standing and waiting for prey, and then snatching it up with their thick bills.
Size: 56 - 66cm
Voice: Loud "K-oark" and deep-throated rumbling at roost.
Nesting Ecology: Breeds Sept - April. Nest platform of sticks in high tree near water, communal. Eggs 2-5 light green. Incubation 22 days. Fledge 42-49 days.
Australian Distribution: Australia wide.
Melbourne Zoo, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Close-Up of A Rufus Night Heron
This bird is a completely wild and free Rufus Night Heron - it has come to Parkville, the site of Royal Melbourne Zoo, to muscle in on the Little Penguin feeding taking place metres away.
The Nankeen, or Rufous, Night-heron is a stocky, but handsome bird. Although it's name suggests it is not strictly nocturnal. It often leaves it's roost to feed in the afternoon, particularly when breeding, and will feed all day in wet weather. This may be because the rain stimulates frog and fishes, on which the heron feeds, making food more accessibly. The Nankeen Night-heron roosts and nest communally, sometimes in great numbers, in high sturdy trees. Birds may use the same roosting trees for many years. At dusk the birds will fly out from their roost with loud calls to other members of the colony. They can travel great distances to feed, returning to the roost at dawn. Nankeen Night-herons will feed on insects, fish, frogs, tadpoles and crustaceans in and around freshwater rivers, lakes, bulrushes, estuaries, harbors and in residential fishponds for goldfish. They hunt by standing and waiting for prey, and then snatching it up with their thick bills.
Size: 56 - 66cm
Voice: Loud "K-oark" and deep-throated rumbling at roost.
Nesting Ecology: Breeds Sept - April. Nest platform of sticks in high tree near water, communal. Eggs 2-5 light green. Incubation 22 days. Fledge 42-49 days.
Australian Distribution: Australia wide.
Melbourne Zoo, Parkville, Victoria, Australia