Malayan Night Heron
Gorsachius melanolophus
The Malayan Night Heron (Gorsachius melanolophus) is a uncommon herons, egrets, and bittern found in 19 countries, weighing about 412 g. The Malayan night heron, also known as Malaysian night heron and tiger bittern, is a medium-sized heron.
About the Malayan Night Heron
The Malayan night heron, also known as Malaysian night heron and tiger bittern, is a medium-sized heron. It is distributed in southern and eastern Asia.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Malayan night heron is about 48 cm (19 in) long. The wingspan is about 86 cm (34 in). It is stocky, with a short beak. Its neck and breast are rufous. There are streaks going down the centre of the neck to the breast. The upperparts are chestnut and vermiculated. The flight feathers are blackish. The crown is black, the chin is white, and the eyes are yellow. The beak is black and the legs are greenish. The juvenile is greyish to rufous and is spotted and vermiculated. Males have been reported to have deeper blue lores and a longer crest compared to females during the breeding season.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Brunei.
When to see it
The Malayan Night Heron can be seen all year round, with peak activity in May. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Malayan Night Heron?
- The Malayan night heron is about 48 cm (19 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Malayan Night Heron?
- The Malayan Night Heron is a large sized bird weighing about 412 g.
- Where can you see a Malayan Night Heron?
- The Malayan Night Heron occurs in 19 countries, including Taiwan, India, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong SAR China.
- What birds look similar to a Malayan Night Heron?
- The Malayan Night Heron is most easily confused with the Japanese Night Heron.
- Is the Malayan Night Heron endangered?
- The Malayan Night Heron is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Malayan Night Heron for real
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