The night herons - sometimes referred to as the black-crowned night heron - are medium-sized herons, and are resident all year round in Hong Kong, with established - and flourishing - breeding colonies.
The genus name Nycticorax derives from the Greek for “night raven” and refers to the croaking crow-like call - although some of these birds have largely nocturnal feeding habits - but i have only seen them out and about during the day.
Adults are stout birds with a primarily brown or grey plumage, and, in most, a black crown.
These attractive birds stand still at the water's edge, and wait to ambush prey, catching and eating small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, and small mammals.