The adult white-faced heron is medium-sized for the family and mostly pale blue-grey. The forehead, crown, chin and upper throat are white. The crown pattern is variable, with the white occasionally spreading down the neck; the variability makes identification of individuals possible. The iris may be grey, green, dull yellow or cinnamon. The regions between the eye and bill on the side of the head (lores) are black. The beak is black and often pale grey at the base.During the breeding season pinkish-brown or bronze nuptial plumes appear on the fore neck and breast, with blue-grey plumes appearing on the back.

The adult typically weighs 550 g (1.21 lb)[  and ranges from 60 to 70 cm (24–28 in) in height.

Immature birds are paler grey with only the throat white, and often have a reddish colour on the underparts.Chicks are typically covered with grey down.

The white-faced heron is found throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indonesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, the islands of the Subantarctic, and all but the driest areas of Australia. The species is now resident on Christmas Island but has not yet been recorded breeding there. It is also commonly found on Lombok, Flores and Sumbawa,and has appeared as a vagrant in China,the Cocos Islands and the Solomon Islands.It is mostly a winter visitor to the Northern Territory. It was self-introduced to New Zealand in the late 1940s. It is the only heron recorded breeding in Tasmania.

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

The white-faced heron typically perches on fence-posts, trees, telephone poles and house roofs. Its flight is slow and bouncing