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Plumed Egret (Ardea plumifera) Alternate name(s): "Intermediate Egret", "White Crane*", "Median Egret", "Smaller Egret", "Yellow-billed Egret" Size: 56-72 cm; wing span 1.05-1.15 m Body mass: 400-500 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.24-0.36

Australia: Family Group 5 Family Group 5 Table Great Egret Plumed Egret Eastern Cattle Egret Little Egret Eastern Reef Egret Great-billed Heron White-faced Heron White-necked Heron Pied Heron Rufous Night Heron Little (formerly Striated) Heron Black Bittern Australian Little Bittern Australasian Bittern Royal Spoonbill Yellow-billed Spoonbill Australian White Ibis Straw-necked Ibis Glossy Ibis Black-necked Stork Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Plumed Egrets are the medium-size egrets. Their plumage is all-white. During the breeding season they grow long scapular and frontal plumes that are absent in eclipse. The straight bill, which is yellow in eclipse, turns bright orange, with a turquoise base, in the breeding season. The irises are yellow; the legs are orange-yellow at top and darken to near-black towards the feet.

Taxonomy, classification See Plumed Egret at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Plumed Egret is available HERE . Plumed Egrets have a range spanning from New Guinea to Australia, with some reports also from New Zealand. In Australia, Plumed Egrets, nominate race "plumifera", inhabit basically the North and the East of the continent and Tasmania. They are not found in the arid interior of WA, the central and south-western NT and western SA. There are no Plumed Egrets along the South coast to the West of Eyre peninsula either. In the semi-arid interior they are found mostly after substantial rainfall events. Plumed Egrets have a preference for the shallows of various kinds of freshwater wetlands such as freshwater lakes, rivers and ephemeral wetlands, as well as intertidal mudflats.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "plumifera" We have seen Plumed Egrets, race "plumifera", in the Narrabri area, e.g. at Narrabri Lake and in other parts of inland NSW, wherever there is water, swamp or marshland. Plumed Egrets, race "plumifera", are also sighted regularly on trips to the East of the Great Dividing Range, e.g. in the area from Armidale to Dorrigo and the Clarence River downs (Iluka), NSW. In November 2023, M. Eaton found Plumed Egrets, race "plumifera", breeding at Arkarra Lagoons, Hervey Bay, QLD. We have also found Plumed Egrets, race "plumifera", in various locations in the Northern Territory in August 2014, e.g. at Fogg Dam CR. There they were also spotted by P. Brown in May 2018. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours spotted Plumed Egrets, race "plumifera", at Mareeba Wetlands, QLD, in August 2020.

Photos

Race "plumifera"

ADULT

Sex unknown

BREEDING

With nuptial flush

Near-lateral view of a Plumed Egret in breeding plumage and nuptial flush
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2010]

Lateral view of a Plumed Egret in breeding plumage and nuptial flush
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2010]

Lateral view of a Plumed Egret in breeding plumage and nuptial flush
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2011]

Near-dorsal view of a Plumed Egret in breeding plumage and nuptial flush (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, December 2023]

Without nuptial flush

Frontal portrait of a Plumed Egret in breeding plumage
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, December 2024]

Near-frontal view of a Plumed Egret in breeding plumage
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, August 2014]

Near-lateral view of a Plumed Egret in breeding plumage
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, August 2014]

Close-up lateral view of a Plumed Egret in breeding plumage
[Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, NSW, January 2026]

Close-up lateral view of a Plumed Egret in breeding plumage
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, December 2024]

Close-up lateral view of a Plumed Egret in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Botanic Gardens, Gold Coast, QLD, October 2019]

Lateral view of a Plumed Egret in breeding plumage spreading its wings (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, March 2019]

Lateral view of a Plumed Egret in transitional plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead, QLD, July 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a Plumed Egret starting to moult into its breeding plumage
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, March 2009]

Size comparison between a Plumed Egret in breeding plumage and a male Australian Little Bittern
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Lytton, QLD, March 2019]

Lateral view of a Plumed Egret in partial breeding plumage in low hovering flight (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, May 2018]

Lateral view of a Plumed Egret in partial breeding plumage in low hovering flight (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, May 2018]

Near-lateral view of a Plumed Egret in partial breeding plumage banking to land (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, May 2018]

NON-BREEDING

Close-up lateral view of a Plumed Egret in non-breeding plumage with a deformation at the base of its bill
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Mareeba Wetlands, QLD, August 2020]

Lateral view of a Plumed Egret in non-breeding plumage
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, December 2010]

Near-dorsal view of a Plumed Egret in non-breeding plumage
[Inverell, NSW, January 2017]

Dorsal view of a Plumed Egret in non-breeding plumage
[Inverell, NSW, January 2017]

Dorsal view of a Plumed Egret in non-breeding plumage
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, April 2012]

Near-frontal view of a Plumed Egret in non-breeding plumage in flight
[Macquarie Marshes NR, NSW, May 2021]

Near-frontal view of a Plumed Egret in non-breeding plumage in flight
[Macquarie Marshes NR, NSW, May 2021]

Lateral view of a Plumed Egret in non-breeding plumage in flight
[Macquarie Marshes NR, NSW, May 2021]

Lateral view of a Plumed Egret in non-breeding plumage in flight, with fully stretched neck
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, December 2011]

The same Plumed Egret as shown above, now with full flaps for landing
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, December 2011]

Plumed Egret in flight
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, July 2010]

Here a direct comparison of a Plumed Egret in flight (back right) with a Great Egret in the foreground; the main distinction between the two is in the lores, which extend to behind the eye for the Great Egret, but not for the Plumed Egret
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, August 2010]

This photo allows a comparison of the relative sizes of a Eastern Cattle Egret (centre), a Great Egret (left) and a Plumed Egret (right); all of them are searching for nesting material under a tree after a violent storm
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, December 2010]

Most of the birds shown here will probably be Plumed Egrets; this photo gives an impression of how many egrets a single lake such as Narrabri Lake can support in a breeding season; obviously this flock is only part of the local population
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, January 2011]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a (probably young) Plumed Egret
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, August 2012]

Near-dorsal view of a (probably young) Plumed Egret
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, August 2012]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Oct - Jan

Eggs: 3 - 4

Incubation period: 25 days

Fledging age: 63 - 70 days

The breeding season depends significantly on geographical latitude. In the tropical north Plumed Egrets breed Dec - Mar. Given the right conditions, Plumed Egrets can breed any time of the year. They breed in colonies, together with other aquatic birds.

Additional information

There is a separate page showing a pair of Plumed Egrets performing a nuptial dance.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket

Material: Sticks, lined with leaves

Height above ground: 5 - 20 m

Seen nesting, together with other aquatic birds, along the shores of Narrabri Lake during the breeding season of 2008 and subsequent years.

Pair of Plumed Egrets, both in breeding plumage with nuptial flush, adding a stick to their nest - usually, the division of labour in pairs of egrets is that the male (presumably the bird at upper right) brings the sticks, with which the female (on the left) builds the nest
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Arkarra Lagoons, Hervey Bay, QLD, November 2023]

Lateral view of a Plumed Egret in breeding plumage with nuptial flush on its nest; note the red base of the bill, the turquoise orbital skin (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Arkarra Lagoons, Hervey Bay, QLD, November 2023]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 47 x 34 mm

Colour: Light blue

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Partly migratory/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair/group

We have observed a Plumed Egret use a hunting technique that we had previously only seen a Black-necked Stork employ:

Plumed Egret standing on a lily pad
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, August 2014]

Plumed Egret using its wing to frighten fish in the water...
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, August 2014]

... before pouncing on its prey; note how the lily pad provides a good base for the Plumed Egret to push off from
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, August 2014]

Food, Diet

All egrets and herons prey on aquatic creatures in fresh water or estuaries (fish, frogs, snakes or crustaceans). Plumed Egrets will take any of those.

Plumed Egrets with a frog it has just caught high up in a tree standing on the edge of Narrabri Lake
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, April 2012]

Lateral view of a Plumed Egret trying unsuccessfully to swallow a small snake or legless lizard
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2010]

Lateral view of a Plumed Egret with its catch, a fish (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

We will try to replace this poor recording with a better one as soon as possible.

integrt_20140817.m4a

plumifera (Darwin, NT)

Annoyed

© MD

More Plumed Egret sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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