Japanese Night Heron

The Japanese night heron (Gorsachius goisagi) is a species of night heron found in East Asia. It breeds in Japan, and winters in the Philippines and Indonesia. It is also seen in the spring and summer in Korea and the Russian Far East.

The Japanese night heron's wingspan ranges between 43 and 47 cm, and the colors of the plumage vary between adult and juvenile herons. In adult herons, the head and neck feathers are russet in color and the wings' feathers are dark-brown in color. In juvenile herons, the feathers on the head are more black in color than russet, while the feathers on the wings are lighter in color than those of the adult. Both juvenile and adult herons share a wide beak and yellow skin on the outer layer of their eyes. A unique feature of the Japanese night heron is the dense, black lines that irregularly go down the covert feathers of its wings.