Scientific name: Nycticorax nycticorax (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bird group: Bitterns and Herons
Field characters. 58-65 cm. A small, stocky heron with rather short legs. Adult with black back, pale underparts, black crown and 2-3 long white plumes extending from nape down to back. Eyes red, legs yellowish (pink in breeding season), bill stout, black. Juvenile dull, dark brown above, spotted with whitish-buff; underparts greyish with dark streaks. Looks compact in flight with head closely retracted and without long trailing legs. Roosts by day in thick cover; mainly active at dusk and during night.
Voice. Call is a coarse, Raven-like croak: 'wok', 'quark', 'hwack', or 'guok', usually uttered in flight.
Distribution. Local breeding bird which nests in small to relatively large colonies.
Habitat. Builds nest in trees or, when woody growth is absent, in reedbeds and other emergent vegetation; also arboreal when resting or roosting. Prefers shallow lakes, ponds, lagoons, rivers, streams, swamps and other wetlands with shallow, fresh standing or gently flowing water.
Food. Mainly amphibians, fish, and insects; nocturnal or crepuscular feeder.
Eggs. Unmarked, ground colour light blue-green, sometimes fading during incubation. Often with very fine lengthwise grooves, not glossy. Shape subelliptical/short subelliptical. Size 50 x 36 mm (44-56 x 32-38), weight 34 g (32-36). In appearance much like Little Egret, but colour slightly brighter.