Malayan Night Heron

The Malayan night heron, or tiger bittern, is a stocky, medium-sized heron about 48cm long with a wingspan of about 86cm and a short bill. Its neck and breast are rufous, with streaks running down the centre of the neck to the breast, and the upperparts are chestnut with fine vermiculations; the flight feathers are blackish. It has a black crown, a white chin, yellow eyes, a black bill and greenish legs. Juveniles are greyish to rufous and spotted (Wikipedia, general species account).

It lives in forests, streams and marshes across southern and eastern Asia. In the breeding season males develop deep blue lores and a longer crest; the blue appears 30–60 days before pairing, while females arrive with bluish-green lores, and the colour fades in both sexes as incubation goes on. In Japan, numbers rose on islands as undisturbed forest cover increased. SoIB 2023 lists it as a summer migrant in India with localized winter populations, but gives no trend or priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).