About Ardea pacifica Latham, 1802
The white-necked heron (Ardea pacifica Latham, 1801) is a large, diurnal, long-legged waterbird. Most of its body is slate-grey to black, and it has distinctive black spots in the center of its lower fore-neck and throat. Most of its head and neck are white, and the black spots on the neck are only visible in non-breeding individuals. During the breeding season, plum-coloured nuptial plumes grow on the back and breast. This heron flies in a stately manner, with slow, steady wing beats. It measures 76–106 cm (30–42 in) in length, has a wingspan of 147–160 cm (58–63 in), and weighs around 860 g (30 oz). Its bill is black, its facial skin is most commonly blue or yellow, its eyes are green, and its legs and feet are black. It has an elongated neck and beak adapted to reach out and catch fish, frogs, spiders, and other small animal prey found in its habitat. Downy young white-necked herons have longer down, especially on the crown; their head and neck are white, while their upperparts and upper wings are light grey-brown. Juvenile white-necked herons have dark grey feathers, with a broad grey-black strip running down the front of the neck. Their head and neck are commonly tinged brownish-grey. Adult feathers grow in as the juvenile feathers wear away. The white-necked heron is found across most of the Australian continent, and it commonly lives in wetlands, tidal areas, shallow fresh waters, farm dams, claypans, pastures, and runoff water in roadside ditches. This species has thrived after the construction of irrigation systems, dams, and other man-made water sources. It is not present in some parts of Western Australia and South Australia, and also does not occur in the arid Great Sandy Desert, Gibson Desert, Great Victoria Desert, or the Nullarbor Plain. The movement patterns of the white-necked heron remain largely unknown, due to its irruptive habits, which are commonly attributed to genetic adaptations to erratic environmental conditions.
