Japanese Night Heron
Gorsachius goisagi
A small brown heron with awkward-looking, hunched appearance. Occurs in dense, damp lowland and foothill forests next to bodies of water, where it hunts prey in dense cover. Paler crown and weaker crest than similar Malayan Night-Heron and lacks the white wingtips of that species. Shy and difficult to see; most readily observed during migration, when it sometimes visits more open habitats. Gives hooting calls at regular intervals, especially in early evening.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Gorsachius goisagi
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1836)
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Ardeidae
- Genus
- Gorsachius
Range and habitat
The Japanese night heron typically inhabits dense, coniferous and broad-leaved forests on hills and low mountains in close proximity to bodies of water, i.e. rivers and streams. This habitat seems to be consistent between the breeding and non-breeding ranges. Generally, the altitudinal range of the Japanese night heron is between 50 and 240 meters. However, it has been reported at heights above 1,000 meters in Japan, where the habitat is scarce, and the Philippines. During the winter, the heron shelters in dark and deeply shaded forests, which are near water and can be as elevated as 2,400 meters.
- Breeding range
- PAL : Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu (c, s Japan), Jeju (off s Korean Pen.) and Taiwan
- Non-breeding range
- Ryukyu Is. (s Japan) to Philippines
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
The Japanese night heron is very rare, because of its restricted breeding area. The population of the heron has decreased down to a few thousand within the last decade. For this reason, the Japanese night heron is legally protected by Japanese and Hong Kong Laws, and many programs have been proposed to counteract/steady the decline and create a revitalization of the species. The conservation acts propose public awareness, further study of the heron's home range within the seasons of breeding and inactivity, and control the sale of specimens. The control and inhibition of invasive species that impact the heron are also being addressed.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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