Small Asian bittern with short neck and a long, straw-colored bill. Adult: Buffy orange head, neck and flanks. Black crown. Brown upperparts. Mostly white underparts with buffy streaks on breast, yellow legs and feet. Juvenile: Similar to adult but with fewer buffy tones and heavily streaked upperparts and neck. Similar Least Bittern has a much darker back and much brighter yellow-buff and yellow-orange tones on the neck, breast, and wing coverts.

Length: 38 (cm) Wingspan: 53 (cm)

Habitat:

Found in reedy wetlands and marshes, rice fields, or mangroves.

Behavior:

Nests in trees or dense vegetation near water. Fairly secretive; usually found singly at dusk or dawn when they're most active. Flight is low and for short distances.

Feeding:

Feeds on insects and small amphibians and fish.