It can be found almost anywhere near shallow water, fresh or salt, and although it is prompt to depart the scene on long, slow-beating wings if disturbed, it will boldly raid suburban fish ponds.

They noted that Bock had not given reasons why he had placed the species in Ardea, and felt its closest relative was the little blue heron (Egretta caerulea) on account of plumage and skull similarities.

[9] Using DNA-DNA hybridization in a 1987 study, Frederick Sheldon confirmed the white-faced heron was a member of the egret clade.

[10] Subspecies E. n. novaehollandiae and E. n. parryi in Australia, E. n. nana from New Caledonia and E. n. austera from Irian Jaya have previously been described, but are now not recognised taxonomically.

[12] The white-faced heron is locally nomadic and found in both fresh and salty wetlands, farm dams, pastures, grasslands, crops, shores, saltmarsh, tidal mudflats, boat-harbours, beaches, golf courses, orchards or in garden fish-ponds.

[14] The most common call of the white-faced heron is a gravelly croak or gobble,[3] graak or graaw and is typically given in flight, in interactions or in aggressive encounters.

[14][17] Breeding generally takes place in southern Australia, and birds disperse for long distances at other times of year.

[clarification needed] Both sexes share the task of building the nest, incubating the eggs and caring for the young.

[14] The nest is an untidy shallow bowl, made of sticks and usually placed on a leafy branch 5–12 m high,[3] at altitudes from sea level to over 1000 m.[2] When breeding the birds have long feathers (nuptial plumes) on the neck, head and back.

[19] It uses a variety of techniques to find food including standing still and waiting for prey movement (often employing a peculiarly rhythmic neck movement whether in water or on land), walking slowly in shallow water, wing flicking, foot raking or even chasing prey with open wings.