Great Egret (Kotuku)
Ardea alba

The Great Egrets in New Zealand are of the same subspecies as that of Australia, modesta, which some authorities consider to be a seperate species from that found in Europe, Africa and the Americas. Locally, they are known as White Herons or by the Maori name Kotuku. They are rare in New Zealand with just oen breeding site, from which the birds disperse over the winter.