The White-necked Heron is a large heron with a white head and long neck marked by black spots. It walks in shallow water to find fish and other prey.
Its head and long neck are white, with two lines of black spots down the front of the neck. Its back and wings are dark slate-gray, and its bill is black.
It wades in shallow water or walks through wet grass, looking for fish, amphibians, crustaceans and insects.
Good rainfall can prompt breeding in any month, although most breeding occurs from September to December. A loose platform nest is built in a living tree near or over water, and both parents incubate the eggs.
During breeding, plum-colored nuptial plumes grow on the back and breast. The bare facial skin is blue or yellow, the eyes are green, and the legs and feet are black.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.