Malayan Night Heron    Gorsachius melanolophus

Etymology: 

• Gorsachius : derived from Japanese name Goi-sagi for the Blackcrowned Night Heron .               goi – fifth rank; sagi – InJapanese classical folklore, the all-powerful Emperor Daigo (reigned 897–930 AD) ordered a vassal to capture a Black-crowned Night Heron.Upon hearing the imperial command the heron submitted itself to capture. The emperor was pleased that the heron had confirmed his omnipotence over nature as well as man, and granted it the title ‘king of the herons’ and the position of fifth rank in his court, and released it unharmed.

• Melanolophus: Greek word melas- black; lophos –crest

• Minor : Latin word for small 

Distribution in India: Resident and Partial migrant in Western Ghats ,North East and Nicobar islands in India .

Description: Size of 45–51 cm; Weight of 377–451 g; wingspan of  86–87 cm. It has a rufous neck, black cap and long crest, white-tipped primaries and chestnut-barred back. It has pale chestnut-brown body, short, stubby and slightly decurved and thinner bill, and white tips to primaries, bluish-green lores , much finer spotting on back and wings, and mottled underparts.

The sexes are similar though the male may have longer crest and bluer lores when breeding, and always is more finely vermiculated above, with few or no stripes on neck. The female has heavier neck-striping and coarser vermiculations on upperparts. Flight feathers blackish, tipped whitish. eyes are greenish yellow, legs and feet are olive-green to olive-brown, bill is dark brown above and greenish on mandible, and lores and orbital skin generally blue-green or greenish yellow but may acquire reddish tone during breeding season. The Juvenile plumage is densely and conspicuously spotted and barred dark brown and whitish, with blackish crown that is barred and spotted white, bluish-green facial skin and horn-coloured bill.

Sub species G. m. minor found in Nicobar Islands  is smaller

Habitat: It is found in lowland wooded swamps, streams and marshes in dense tropical and subtropical forest in areas of heavy rainfall. It is found up to 1800 m in India. It sometimes forages along margins of cultivation, rice fields and pastures. Also found in reedbeds during migration.

Food habits: It eats insects, molluscs, large earthworms, frogs, lizards, snakes and small fish. It is solitary and probably territorial feeder; generally crepuscular or nocturnal, . The principal foraging techniques is standing and Walking Slowly.

Breeding habits: They breed in South West India in May–Aug during heavy rains; in North East (Assam) India) in May–Jun. They nest in fork up tree in dense forest and occasionally in reedbed. The nest is fragile stick platform sometimes lined with leaves and grass, . The nest is constructed by both sexes over period of 9 days. They lay a clutch of  3–4 greenish-white or bluish-white eggs . The incubation period is 32–34 days, done by both sexes. The fledging period is 43 days, with smallest young often being ejected by oldest. The immature-plumaged birds act as helpers at nests.