A couple of months ago, I got information from a reliable source that a Malayan night-heron was spotted in a patch of a Marma neighbourhood of Kaptai in Chittagong. This bird is also known as the Malay Tiger Bittern.
On August 10, 2023, fellow photographer Mousumi Siraj and I set off for Kaptai in search of that bird. We reached Chittagong at night. The next day, we set out in search of the bird before dawn. We had Chittagong-based photographer Syed Abdu Bhai with us, and a local guide was with him.
As it is a rare species, we didn’t know much about this bird. We waited all day. It started raining, but we kept waiting for that bird, not even coming back after the rain stopped.
In the evening, we saw a Malayan night heron and I immediately took some pictures. But the bird did not stay there for long. We watched it for a minute and a half. This time was enough for us. We could take some good pictures in this short time. All the hard work was worth it.
After researching this bird, I came to know that this species of bird likes to stay in the dark: they only come out for a short time in the evening to gather food.
Many photographers tried so hard but failed to spot this bird. So, we returned to Dhaka very happy to have finally been able to catch it on camera and share the pictures of this rare bird with the public.
Features of Malayan night heron
The Malayan night-heron is a small, chestnut and brown nocturnal heron of low- to mid-elevation wet forests.
This heron is typically found in mature, moist forests. It inhabits dense, high-rainfall, subtropical forests, ranging from low-lying wetlands, where it utilizes streams, marshes, and swamps, to moderate elevations, where it resides in evergreen forests, secondary scrub, and near reservoirs, according to Heron Conservation, an IUCN-SCC Heron Specialist Group.
During migration, this bird uses reed beds and is often reported to utilize human environments, especially flooded rice fields, pastures, and vegetable gardens. It also nests near houses.
The adults have a black crown and nape, terminating in a long black crest. The bill is stocky, down-curved, with dark brown upper parts and green lower parts. The lores and orbital skin are blue-green, while the irises are green-yellow. The sides of the face and neck are rufous, and the chin is white with a central row of black streaks.
The back and upper wings are chestnut, finely barred with black. The flight feathers are brownish-black with white tips, which are visible in flight. The tail is black, and the underparts are dark brown, finely speckled with black. The flanks and undertail-coverts are mottled brown and white. The legs and feet are olive.
During the breeding season, the lores become blue. Males change in appearance well in advance of nesting, while females undergo these changes during courtship. After courtship, the lores fade to blue-green, green, and eventually to grey-green.
Both sexes are similar, but the male may have a longer crest and bluer lores during courtship. The species exhibits a high degree of individual variability in plumage. In the past, three subspecies with differing plumage colors were recognized, but their variability seems to fall within the overall range of individual variation within the species.
Immature birds from the herons breeding on Palawan are buff-colored with heavy black overlay. Herons from the Nicobar Islands are notably smaller.
The immature birds have cryptic coloring, which is strikingly different from the adults. Their upper parts are dull grey to brown, spotted and barred with white and buff. The underparts are white, spotted and barred with brown. The crown is blackish, with white bars and spots.
The flight and interaction call of this heron is typically rendered as "arh, arh, arh." Additionally, it produces hoarse croaks that have not yet been fully characterized."
The writer is a housewife and freelance wildlife photographer.
