Gorsachius melanolophus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 4 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Malayan Night Heron sighting in Taichung on a given day, based on 1,233 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 27th most-seen of the 121 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to July
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Malayan Night Heron in Taichung on a given day, against about 20% in August and October–February, the lowest months. Those are among Taichung's wettest months, with about 260 mm of rain a month against 40 mm in December.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Malayan Night Heron sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 8
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Malayan Night Heron sightings, Taichung ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Taipei (Taiwan, about 40%).
Same family: Ardeidae
The closest relatives of the Malayan Night Heron that you can see in Taichung (family Ardeidae, Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns) are Little Egret (about 60%), Black-crowned Night Heron (about 60%) and Great Egret (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Malayan Night Heron is recorded against all the birds logged in Taichung (1,233 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
