The Pied Heron is a wetland heron of northern Australia and nearby islands. It has black-and-white plumage and feeds mainly on insects, as well as fish and frogs.
Adults have a blackish crown, upper face, back, wings, and belly, contrasting with a white throat and neck. Black head plumes form a crest; the bill, legs, and feet are yellowish.
It feeds on mudflats, shallow water, and mangroves, taking mostly insects but also fish and frogs. It moves locally with rainfall and food availability.
It nests in mixed waterbird colonies in coastal mangroves and river forests. Nests are concave stick platforms lined with finer twigs, and clutches contain two to four eggs.
Juveniles have a white head and neck without a crest, grey-brown back and wings, and a grey-brown to grey-white belly. The head may also be pale grey, brown-grey, or streaked reddish-brown.
During courtship the bill and legs become bright yellow and the irises orange-red. The crest is more prominent and the body develops a stronger slate-blue sheen.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.