1. (38-41) STRIATED HERON (LITTLE HERON, LITTLE GREEN HERON) Butorides striata (R) Village hen±:46cm. Occurrence: Inland waters, swamps and mangroves. Subcontinent; Andaman and Nicobars, Lakshadweep, Maldives and Sri Lanka. ID: Plumage varies from light grey to blackish. Forehead, crown and occipital crest glossy greenish-black. Cheeks, chin and centre of throat white. (15).
2. (42-42a) INDIAN POND-HERON Ardeola grayii (R) Village hen±:46cm. Occurrence: Shallow marshes, streams, paddyfields and ponds. Subcontinent; Andaman and Nicobars, Lakshadweep, Maldives, Sri Lanka. ID: Largely snow-white, which is prominent in flight but effectively camouflaged by earthy-brown at rest. Very handsome in breeding plumage with head and neck yellowish-brown with long recumbent white or buff occipital crest; back turns deep maroon. (16).
3. (43) CHINESE POND-HERON Ardeola bacchus (RM) Village hen±:52cm. Occurrence: Inland waters. Assam valley, Bangladesh; Andamans; one record from Sri Lanka. ID: Like Indian Pond-Heron in non-breeding plumage, but larger and longer billed. Breeding birds with head, neck, breast and nuchal crest dark maroon-chestnut. Back and scapulars blackish-slaty. Rest of body including chin, throat, belly, wings and tail white.
4. (53-54) MALAYAN NIGHT-HERON Gorsachius melanolophus (RM) Village hen+:51cm. Occurrence: Marshy pockets and streams in tropical evergreen forest. Patchy in NE India, W Ghats, Sri Lanka (migrant?), Nicobars. ID: Crown and bushy nuchal crest ashy-black. Above, chestnut-cinnamon finely barred with black; tail black with rufescent tip. White or sandy-rufous below, patterned with rufous and black. Immature: Overall grey mottled with black. Blackish crest and nape white-spotted. (23).
5. (52) BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON Nycticorax nycticorax (R) Village hen+:58cm. Occurrence: Inland waters, estuaries, coastal lagoons and backwaters. Subcontinent; Andaman and Nicobars, Lakshadweep, Maldives, Sri Lanka. ID: Stocky, grey, white and black heron with a stout bill. Crown, nape, drooping occipital crest and back black, the crest with a few narrow white plumes. Crepuscular and nocturnal. A distinctive wock or kwaark is uttered from time to time while flying to and from feeding grounds. Immature birds brown, streaked and speckled with white. (22).
6. (56) CHESTNUT BITTERN (CINNAMON BITTERN) Ixobrychus cinnamomeus (RM) Village hen-:38cm. Occurrence: Reed-beds, flooded paddyfields, rarely coastal backwaters. Subcontinent; Andaman and Nicobars, Sri Lanka, Maldives. ID: Male: Chestnut-cinnamon above including bushy crest; white submoustachial-stripe diagnostic. Chin and throat whitish with a dark median stripe down foreneck. A patch of black and chestnut-buff edged feathers on upper breast. Rest of underparts pale chestnut. Female: Chestnut-brown above; buffy-rufous below with heavy brown streaks from middle of foreneck and breast flanked by parallel broken lines. (25).
7. (57) YELLOW BITTERN Ixobrychus sinensis (RM) Village hen-:38cm. Occurrence: Reed-beds, paddy and swamps. Subcontinent; Andaman and Nicobars, Lakshadweep, Maldives, Sri Lanka. ID: Male: Crown dark grey; face vinaceous-pink. Back, shades of brown; flight feathers blackish. Rump ashy-grey; tail slaty-black. Underparts largely pale yellow. Female and juvenile more dull brown with buff streaks on back. In flight, the yellowish-fawn body contrasting with black flight feathers diagnostic. (26).
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