Herons, Egrets & Bitterns

Australian Natural History Series

Elegant and serenely graceful, herons are handsome, eye-catching birds. Some of them are easily seen as they feed in the open, and roost and nest in large colonies. Others are secretive in their habits, living a more solitary existence under cover of shrubbery and reddbeds along the edges of rivers and lakes.

This is the first book to deal exclusively with the Australian members of this family of birds. It gives a comprehensive, easy-to-read account of their origins, classification and biology, and explains the features that distinguish them from other birds. The book covers the distribution and movements, feeding, breeding, population dynamics and conservation of the 14 Australian species. It also includes a chapter on the six species that are 'occasional visitors' to the continent. There is also a chapter on population and conservation of Australian herons, some of whom are thriving and others who are in a very precarious position.