Malayan Night Heron

Malayan Night Heron (Gorsachius melanolophus) is a medium-sized chestnut heron with a blackish crown and crest, finely barred wings and a thick neck. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It inhabits shaded forests, plantations and damp gardens across southern and eastern Asia, foraging mainly on the ground for earthworms, frogs, insects and other small prey. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).