BIRD OF THE WEEK: Meet a familiar member of the flock The white-faced heron is mostly light blue-grey in colour, with a characteristic white face and has a long, slim neck and a pointed grey-black bill. News Allan Briggs Premium Content A reader asked the question ‘what is the difference between an egret and a heron?’ They both belong to the same family and for general identification purposes egrets are white while herons are coloured. Some common egrets are the Cattle, Little, Great, Intermediate and Eastern Reef Egret. Common herons are the White-necked, White-faced, Striated and Nankeen Night Heron. This week we look at the White-faced Heron which loves wetlands, creeks, estuaries and mudflats and is the most common heron in Australia.