Malayan Night Heron

Gorsachius melanolophus (Raffles, 1822)

46–47 cmLength86 cmWingspan412 gWeight

It is a medium-sized heron with a black crest and reddish-brown neck, often found on campuses and in parks.

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: China, Thailand, Singapore

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Black crest
Reddish-brown face, neck and breast
Blue from the base of the bill to the lores
Dark reddish-brown back with black barring

Male, female and young

In the breeding season, the male reportedly has deeper blue lores and a longer crest than the female; juveniles have a black crown and a black crest with white patches.

Voice

It calls incessantly at night in the breeding season, with low, distant-sounding hooting courtship calls and harsh threat calls.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: China, Thailand, Singapore

Malayan Night Heron has been recorded at 248 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 15 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Taipei – National Taiwan University Main CampusTaiwan (China)3,658 records
Taipei – Taipei Botanical GardenTaiwan (China)2,781 records
Taipei – Da'an Forest ParkTaiwan (China)2,679 records

More places

Nantou – Jiji Endemic Species Research InstituteTaiwan (China)1,859 records
Nantou – Puli Tzuchi FoundationTaiwan (China)904 records
Taichung – Taichung Metropolitan ParkTaiwan (China)800 records
Nantou – Xitou Nature Education AreaTaiwan (China)590 records
Pingtung – Pingtung University of Science and TechnologyTaiwan (China)589 records
Kaohsiung – Weiwuying Metropolitan ParkTaiwan (China)474 records
Huajiang IBA – Huajiang Wild Duck Nature Park (Huajiang to Zhongxing Bridge)Taiwan (China)439 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China Thailand Singapore India Vietnam Malaysia Philippines Sri Lanka

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Malayan night heron (Gorsachius melanolophus), also known as Malaysian night heron and tiger bittern, is a medium-sized heron. It is distributed in southern and eastern Asia.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Malayan Night Heron?

The Malayan Night Heron is about 46–47 cm long, with a wingspan of 86 cm and weighs around 412 g.

Where does the Malayan Night Heron live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: West Ghats (southwestern India), northeastern India through Southeast Asia and southeastern China to Philippines, Peleng (Banggai Islands, east of Sulawesi). It is most often recorded in China, Thailand and Singapore.

When is the best time to see the Malayan Night Heron?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April and May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Malayan Night Heron endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Malayan Night Heron as Least Concern.

What does the Malayan Night Heron eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Malayan Night Heron in?

It belongs to the family Herons, Bitterns (Ardeidae), order Pelecaniformes.

At a glance

Length: 46–47 cm
Wingspan: 86 cm
Weight: 412 g
Habitat: Wetland
Diet: Omnivore
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 255 mm
Tail: 96 mm
Bill: 60 mm
Tarsus: 62 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: West Ghats (southwestern India), northeastern India through Southeast Asia and southeastern China to Philippines, Peleng (Banggai Islands, east of Sulawesi)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2