Bird: Malayan night heron (Gorsachius melanolophus) 黑冠麻鷺

The Malayan Night Heron (Gorsachius melanolophus) is widely distributed across Southern and Eastern Asia. Twenty or thirty years ago, it was rarely seen in Taiwan due to its shy, nocturnal nature. However, as environments have shifted, they have become a common sight in urban areas. I have personally spotted them in Hualien, Daan Forest Park in Taipei, and at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

There are distinct visual differences between juveniles and adults:

  • Juveniles: As seen in the Hualien sighting (Figure 1), juveniles are more greyish-brown with fine white streaks and characteristic black-and-white spotting on the head.
  • Adults: The bird from Daan Forest Park (Figure 2) is clearly more mature. Adults possess a generally chestnut-brown body and a prominent crest extending from the crown to the nape.
  • Males vs. Females: While similar in appearance, they can be distinguished by the skin around their eyes and lores. Both have blue skin in this area, but the male’s blue hue is much deeper and more vibrant.

The Malayan Night Heron is typically a solitary bird. While it is technically nocturnal, it is now frequently seen foraging during the day in open grassy areas. It typically roosts in trees and is famous for its "statue-like" stillness when it feels threatened. Its diet consists primarily of earthworms and frogs, though it will occasionally eat fish.

黑冠麻鷺又名黑冠鳽或黑冠虎斑鳽，臺灣話俗稱山暗光，亦有地瓜鳥和大笨鳥的別稱（因其平時行走速度緩慢略顯笨拙)，主要分佈於亞洲南部和東部。二、三十年前，由於其生性害羞且晝伏夜出，在台灣很少見到。然而，隨著環境的變化，它們在城市地區變得常見。我自己曾在花蓮、台北大安森林公園以及孫中山紀念館等地親眼目睹它們的身影。

幼鳥和成鳥在外觀上有明顯的差異：

  • 幼鳥: 從花蓮的這隻（圖 1）可以看出，幼鳥呈灰褐色，有細細的白色條紋，頭部有特徵性的黑白斑點。
  • 成鳥: 大安森林公園的這隻鳥（圖 2）明顯年紀較大。成鳥通常體色呈栗褐色，頭頂有明顯的冠羽，從頭頂延伸至頸背。
  • 雄性與雌性：雖然外形相似，但可以透過眼周和眼瞼周圍的皮膚來區分。兩者的這一區域皮膚均為藍色，但雄性的藍色較深、較鮮豔。

黑冠麻鷺通常獨居。雖然嚴格來說是夜行性鳥類，但現在人們經常能在白天看到它們在開闊的草地上覓食。它們通常棲息在樹上，並以在感到威脅時「像雕像一樣」一動不動而聞名。它們的食物主要包括蚯蚓和青蛙，偶爾也會吃魚。

1: Photo Date: 2022.07.19, Location: Hualien, Taiwan 臺灣花蓮

2: Photo Date: 2022.07.26, Location: Taipei Daan Forest Park, Taiwan 台北大安森林公園

3: Photo Date: 2022.06.28, Location: Taipei, Taiwan 台北花卉實驗中心

4: Photo Date: 2024.05.03, Location: Taipei, Taiwan 台北國父紀念館

Notes 筆記

  • The Malayan night heron (Gorsachius melanolophus), also known as Malaysian night heron and tiger bittern. It is distributed in southern and eastern Asia.
  • The Malayan night heron is usually solitary. It roosts in trees and feeds in open areas. It is nocturnal.
  • The most common food items are earthworms and frogs, and it will sometimes eat fish.
  • 黑冠麻鷺又名黑冠鳽或黑冠虎斑鳽，臺灣話俗稱山暗光，亦有地瓜鳥和大笨鳥的別稱（因其平時行走速度緩慢略顯笨拙)，主要分佈於亞洲南部和東部。
  • 黑冠麻鷺通常是獨居的。它棲息在樹上，在開闊的地方覓食。常夜間活動。
  • 它們常吃蚯蚓和青蛙，它有時會吃魚。

References 參考資料

Birds Posts 鳥的帖子

Label:

Comments

Post a Comment