LC
White-necked Heron Ardea pacifica



Taxonomy

Taxonomic source(s)
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and taxonomy of Australian birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
Christidis, L.; Boles, W. E. 2008. Systematics and taxonomy of Australian birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
del Hoyo, J.; Collar, N. J.; Christie, D. A.; Elliott, A.; Fishpool, L. D. C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International.
Turbott, E. G. 1990. Checklist of the birds of New Zealand. Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Wellington.
Turbott, E.G. 1990. Checklist of the birds of New Zealand. Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Wellington.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2016 Least Concern
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

Migratory status nomadic Forest dependency does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 9,380,000 km2
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) 10,700,000 km2
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size 6700-67000 mature individuals poor estimated 2009
Population trend stable - suspected -
Generation length 10.5 years - - -

Trend justification: The overall population trend is fluctuating, although some populations are stable and others have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2006).


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Australia extant native yes
Indonesia extant native
New Zealand extant vagrant
Papua New Guinea extant native

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Australia Diamantina and Astrebla Grasslands
Australia Fortescue Marshes
Australia Macquarie Marshes
Australia Mandora Marsh and Anna Plains

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial Pastureland suitable resident
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded suitable resident
Marine Coastal/Supratidal Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) suitable resident
Wetlands (inland) Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular Rivers/Streams/Creeks suitable resident
Altitude   Occasional altitudinal limits  

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: White-necked Heron Ardea pacifica. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/white-necked-heron-ardea-pacifica on 22/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/12/2024.