THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
19. Nankeen Night-heron Nycticorax caledonicus Gmelin 
Nyc'-ti-cor'-ax—G k, nyx, nyctos , night; Gk, corax , crow, raven: caledoni¬ 
cus—o[ (New) Caledonia. 
distribution. Australia generally, and Tasmania; also occurs in 
the Celebes, Timor to New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, New Cale¬ 
donia, and Lord Howe Island; accidental to New Zealand. 
notes. Also called Nankeen Crane. Usually in pairs or flocks, fre¬ 
quenting the margins of streams and swamps. It is a nocturnal feeder, 
and is generally seen during the day roosting among the bushy limbs 
of a tree growing in or near water, or it will remain well hidden in 
the tall reeds of a swamp. Towards dusk it issues forth from cover, and 
flies to its feeding-grounds. It utters a harsh croaking note during the 
night or when disturbed at its roosting place. Food: yabbies, fresh¬ 
water molluscs, frogs, and aquatic insects. 
nest. A scanty platform, composed of sticks, and generally placed 
on a horizontal branch of a tree; river-oaks and willows are favourite 
nesting-trees. 
eggs. Two or three, occasionally four, pale bluish-green. Breeding- 
season: September to January usually, but practically all the year 
round. 
20. Mangrove Bittern Butorides striata Linn£ 
Bu-to-rY-des— Fr. butor , bittern; - oides , from Gk, eidos , form = like: 
stri-d'-ta— L., striatus, striped. 
distribution. Coastal mid-western, northern, and eastern Aus¬ 
tralia, as far south as New South Wales; also occurs in South America, 
the Pacific Islands, Africa, India to Japan, and Malaysia. 
notes. Also called Little Mangrove Bittern, Mangrove Heron, and 
Green-backed Bittern. Usually singly or in pairs, frequenting the 
muddy foreshores and flats of inlets and rivers, more particularly 
localities thickly covered with mangroves. It is generally seen skulking 
about the flats seeking food, or perched among the branches of trees 
growing in or near water. When disturbed, it utters a loud squawking 
note, and sometimes adopts the stick-like attitude of other species of 
Bitterns, especially when perched in a tree, hoping to avoid obser¬ 
vation. Food: fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and annelids. 
nest. A loosely constructed platform, composed of sticks, and placed 
in the branches of a tree, usually a mangrove, growing in or near 
water. 
eggs. Three or four, pale bluish-green, the surface being dull and 
lustreless. Breeding-season: September to December. 
21. Red Mangrove Bittern Butorides rogersi Mathews 
rogersi— John P. Rogers, collector for G. M. Mathews in north-western 
Australia. 
distribution. Mid-western Australia (Onslow). 
notes. It inhabits similar localities to those frequented by the 
