The seldom-seen matuku moana

The name matuku moana most often refers to the white-faced heron, Ardea novaehollandiae, which are common on paddocks and coastlines around the country. The reef heron, Egretta sacra, is less common but is also referred to as matuku moana. The reef heron 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 white-faced herons.