Striated Heron

An adult Striated Heron Butorides striata aka Little Heron in Birds of South East Asia by Craig Robson. It was standing on a branch in the mangroves along the edge of the river and was photographed from a moving boat. Striated Heron is a common species with a range which includes Asia, Australasia and most of sub-Saharan Africa where it is often referred to as Green-backed Heron.

This leads to confusion as there was a split some years ago which resulted in 2 species: Green Heron Butorides virescens aka known as Green-backed Heron which is found in the United States and Central America and Striated Heron Butorides striata in other parts of the world.

Reference: Robson, C. (2010) Birds of South-East Asia, page 150, New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.