---
title: "Nankeen Night Heron"
description: "Nycticorax caledonicus — Birds. The nankeen night heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) is a heron that belongs to the genus Nycticorax and the family Ardeidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/nankeen-night-heron
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Nankeen Night Heron

> Nycticorax caledonicus — Birds. The nankeen night heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) is a heron that belongs to the genus Nycticorax and the family Ardeidae.

- Scientific name: *Nycticorax caledonicus*
- Category: `birds` (Birds)
- Habitats: `forest` (Forest), `grassland` (Fields & meadows), `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers)
- iNaturalist observations: 7318
- Wikidata: [Q372383](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q372383)
- iNaturalist taxon: [4988](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/4988)

## Names

- en: Nankeen Night Heron
- de: Rotrückenreiher
- es: Martinete canelo
- fr: Bihoreau cannelle
- nl: Rosse kwak
- pt: Savacu-canela
- pl: Ślepowron rdzawy

## Countries with the most observations

AU (6131), MY (284), PH (184), NC (87), ID (71), PW (70), NZ (66), PG (35), BN (17), TW (12), FM (5), TL (5)

## Summary

The nankeen night heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) is a heron that belongs to the genus Nycticorax and the family Ardeidae. Due to its distinctive reddish-brown colour, it is also commonly referred to as the rufous night heron. It is primarily nocturnal and is observed in a broad range of habitats, including forests, meadows, shores, reefs, marshes, grasslands, and swamps. The species is 55 to 65 cm (22 to 26 in) in length, with rich cinnamon upperparts and white underparts. The nankeen night heron has a stable population size, and is classified as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nankeen_night_heron

## Photo

![Nankeen Night Heron](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/nankeen-night-heron/medium.jpg)

Photo: Joshua S. Martin · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/387421798

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/nankeen-night-heron?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).