Malayan Night Heron
Gorsachius melanolophus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPelecaniformes (Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies)
- FamilyArdeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns)
- GenusGorsachius (Malayan and Japanese Night Herons)
- SpeciesGorsachius melanolophus (Malayan Night Heron)
About the Malayan Night Heron
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. The Malayan night heron has been found in India, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan. It is a vagrant in Palau and Korea. Its range size is estimated at 1,240,000 km2. One roadkilled bird was discovered on Christmas Island, Australia where it is likely a vagrant. This bird occurs in forests, streams, and marshes. In Japan, population densities of the herons increased as undisturbed forest cover on islands increased.
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... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Sepilok
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
Striated Heron
Butorides striata
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Nankeen Night-Heron
Nycticorax caledonicus
intermediate egret
Egretta intermedia
Purple Heron
Ardea purpurea
Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Javan Pond Heron
Ardeola speciosa
Chinese Egret
Egretta eulophotes
Pacific Reef Heron
Egretta sacra
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 5 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 8 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 10 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 11 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 12 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 13 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 14 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 15 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 16 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |