White Faced Heron., Bernard Spragg Photo

The white-faced heron is New Zealand's most common heron, despite being a relatively new arrival to this country. It is a tall, elegant, blue-grey bird that can be seen stalking its prey in almost any aquatic habitat, including damp pasture and playing fields. Because it occupies space also shared with people it is usually well habituated to their presence, and may allow close approach...Identification..The white-faced heron is a medium-sized heron with primarily blue-grey plumage. As the name suggests it has white on the face and the front of its neck. The back is medium blue-grey with the chest and underside more brown-toned. In breeding plumage, white-faced herons have strap-like grey plumes on the back, and shorter pinkish brown plumes on the breast. The dagger-like bill is dark grey, dull yellow at the base, and the legs are pale yellow. In flight the white-faced heron usually tucks its head back towards its shoulders in the characteristic heron posture, but it will also fly with the neck out-stretched. Its open wings show contrast between the pale grey fore-wing and dark grey main flight feathers on both the upper and lower surfaces. Immature birds lack the white face.