The dark morph

The reef heron, Egretta sacra, is found in tropical parts of eastern Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Because it prefers the tropics, members of the New Zealand population of 300-500 birds is more often seen in the north of the North Island, although they do venture down south. There are two morphs of the reef heron, a dark morph like this one photographed at Motuareronui / Adele Island in the Abel Tasman National Park, and a light morph that is completely white. The New Zealand population is made up of dark morphs, and there is only one recorded sighting of a light morph in New Zealand, from the Avon-Heathcote Estuary in Christchurch, back in 1987. Reef herons are slightly smaller than the more common white-faced herons.