Gorsachius melanolophus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Malayan Night Heron sighting in Way Kambas National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 202nd most-seen of the 205 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Malayan Night Heron in Way Kambas National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to October, the lowest months. That is one of Way Kambas National Park's wettest months, with about 370 mm of rain against 90 mm in August. November to February have too few records to rate.
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.
4th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Malayan Night Heron sightings, Way Kambas National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Cuc Phuong National Park (Vietnam, about 10%), Manas National Park (India, under 5%) and Taroko National Park (Taiwan, under 5%).
Same family: Ardeidae
The closest relatives of the Malayan Night Heron that you can see in Way Kambas National Park (family Ardeidae, Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns) are Javan Pond Heron (about 30%), Purple Heron (about 30%) and Little Egret (about 20%), 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 Way Kambas National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
