Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Butorides atricapilla
Family: Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns · Status: Common resident · Size: 40–48 cm · Conservation: Not Evaluated
Occurs across Australia, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, southern China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia; some northern populations winter south.
Adult has mostly slaty grey plumage with blackish crown and long black nape plumes, blackish bill with yellow base at lower mandible and yellowish-orange legs. Juvenile has a darker grey overall plumage with white spots on wing coverts, streaked throat and crown. Has a longer and slimmer bill than Black-crowned Night Heron.
Mangroves, canals, stream edges, ponds and estuaries; also marshes, waterbodies near parks and coastal areas.